The Parent Trap
by samlover14
Summary: Troy and Gabriella got divorced years ago, after having twins. Will those twins be able to pull them back together? Or will the meddling Sharpay have her way with Troy? again . Troyella. Oh, and they're joined by most of the rest of the Wildcats too
1. Chapter 1

_**The Parent Trap. HSM style.**_

**A/N: Hi, it's Samantha. I decided to write this for my sister. She doesn't know I'm doing it yet though. I'd like some feedback on this first part, you know, so I can make the rest better. Ever seen the Parent Trap with Lindsey Lohan? Yeah, it's kind of like that. And, no, I'm not neglecting my other stories. So, enjoy. Oh, and it's not a songfic. There's just a song in the beginning, because there is one in the movie, and I like that song.  
**

* * *

_L is for the way you look at me  
O is for the only one I see  
V is very, very extraordinary  
E is even more than anyone that you adore can_

Troy Bolton signed his name on the certificate, and looked over at his lovely bride, Gabriella Montez. They had taken a romantic whim, and gotten married that night. They walked hand in hand out to the ballroom, and started dancing to the ridiculously old song, that was still just perfect for the night, while fireworks lit up in the sky, just like the first time they kissed. Everything was just right.

_Love is all that I can give to you__  
Love is more than just a game for two  
Two in love can make it  
Take my heart and please don't break it  
Love was made for me and you_

After they finished dancing, they sat down to eat their dinner. Everyone knows that you shouldn't eat and then dance, so they danced and then ate. A picture was snapped of them, declaring the date and "Bon Voyage". They were on a boat (and a fancy one at that). Did I forget that part?

_L is for the way you look at me  
O is for the only one I see  
V is very, very extraordinary  
E is even more than anyone that you adore can_

* * *

**11 Years and Nine Months Later**

Camp Walden for Girls. Southern Maine. Vanessa Montez was a long way from her home in New Mexico. And to make matters worse, she couldn't find her duffle bag. Oh, wait, there it was.

"Great! I've found my duffel!" She went to reach for it, but six more duffels were dumped on top of it. "Now, the only problem is…how do I get it out?"

Vanessa was wearing overalls, a baseball cap that says Girls Rule, sunglasses, and a sweat-shirt tied around her waist. Her ears were pierced, her dirty blonde hair was short, she had bright red high tops and metallic blue nail polish.

"Okay! I can do this!" She pulled with all her might to get her bag out from under all the others, but to no avail. "Okay, no I can't."

A skinny girl walked up to Vanessa, carrying her own duffel bag.

"You must be new," she said.

Vanessa sighed. "How can you tell?"

"You didn't know to grab your duffel before the apes dropped it into the heap," said the girl. "I would say you need some serious help."

"Thanks," Vanessa said. "It's the big yellow one." They both tried to tug it out, but couldn't. Another girl, wearing a tie-dye shirt, came by and picked up her duffel from inside the heap and started walking away with it. "Whoa! Now that's my kind of woman!"

"Hey, tie-dye girl!!" The girl turned around.

"Yeah?"

"Could you help me with my duffel? It's the big yellow one buried _way _in there."

"Oh, no problem!" She dropped her own duffel and easily pulled Vanessa's out. "Hey, you're from New Mexico?" Vanessa sighed.

"Yeah, so?" she asked.

"I don't know. There's nothing that cool about New Mexico. California would be something."

"Okay, whatever," Vanessa said. "What bunk are you guys in?"

"Arapahoe," both girls said at the same time.

At that moment, Marva Jr. called out, "Montez, Vanessa!" Vanessa turned around to address Marva Jr. "Arapahoe!"

"Yes!" all three young girls exclaimed. The other two girls introduced themselves as Zoe (the first girl) and Nicole (the second one). As they walked to the Arapahoe bunk, they saw a limo pull up.

"Whoa, sweet ride," Vanessa remarked. "I wonder who's in there. So, either of you by any chance know how to play poker?" Nicole and Zoe shook their heads no. "That's a shame. So, how much cash do you have with you?"

* * *

The limo drove around and parked in front of the main building of the camp. A very posh looking Ryan Evans got out of the limo, and helped a young girl out of the car as well. She looked exactly like Vanessa in everyway, except for she was much more posh looking. For one, she was wearing s dress and nice shoes. Her long hair was pulled back with a headband, and she was holding onto a little dog.

"Ashley, put Boi back in his box," Ryan said. "You can't keep him here." His accent was that of an imported Brit (one that hadn't lived there all his life).

"I know," Ashley sighed. Her accent was real, but you couldn't tell the difference between hers and Ryan's. She put Boi back in his pink box, and turned back around.

"Well, here we are," Ryan said. "Camp Walden for girls. Good gracious. We came all the way from London for _this_?"

"It's rather picturesque, don't you think?" Ashley asked. She picked up a small piece of luggage from inside the limo, while Ryan got out her four matching pink suitcases.

"Okay, now we'll have to read over this list of things your father wanted packed," Ryan said. Ashley sighed. Her father was too over protective. "Vitamins?"

"Check."

"Minerals?"

"Check."

"List of daily intake of fruits and vegetables?"

"Check. Check." Ryan turned his head, confused. "Check for fruits, check for vegetables. Go on." Ryan laughed.

"Herbal teas, sugarless candy, sun block, lip balm, insect repellent, umbrella, stationary, stamps, fountain pen, flashlight, batteries, and photos of your father and of course...Yours truly!" he finished with a flourish.

"Got it all, I think," Ashley said.

"Oh, and here's a little something from Chad, a brand new deck of cards. Maybe you'll find someone on this continent who can actually whip your tush at poker," Ryan said, accenting the "h" in whip.

"I doubt it but thanks. And thanks for bringing me, Ryan," Ashley said. Ryan looked sad, and as though he didn't want to leave her here in this undignified place. "I'll be fine." Ryan still looks unconvinced.

"Hey, if you change your mind and want me to pick you up at the end of camp, remember, I'm only a phone call away."

"It's just eight weeks," Ashley assured him. "I'll be fine."

"I'm missing you already," Ryan said, holding out his hand for their secret handshake, which they performed right there and people stared, but they didn't care.

"Goodbye, Ry," Ashley said, as Ryan got back into the limo and drove away. Ashley then turned her attention to the more pressing problems. She couldn't possibly bring all this luggage to her bunk alone. She would need some help. She saw an official looking woman come by and hailed her. "Excuse me?"

"Ah," Marva Jr. said. "You must by Ashley Bolton, from London."

"Yes, that's correct," Ashley said. "Could you give me a little help with my bags please? I seem to be having some trouble…"

"Uh, sure," Marva Jr. said. Ashley picked up her one small bag, leaving Marva Jr. to carry the other four, which she did, all the way to the Navajo hut, where Ashley would be staying. Marva Jr. entertained her by talking her ear off all the way over, much to Ashley's annoyance. She was glad to be rid of her when she reached her bunk.

* * *

Later that night, it was dinnertime, and all Marva Sr. could think about was getting a whole bunch of those delicious strawberries. Vanessa, with Nicole and Zoe on one side, was the first to be asked if she wanted some.

"No, thanks, I'm allergic," Vanessa said, before hurrying off to sit with her bunkmates.

"Oh, I'm sorry, dear," Marva Sr. said. She turned to her other side, where, by luck, Ashley was standing. Now, with both of the girls in their camp uniforms, they looked more alike than ever. "How about some strawberries, dear?"

"Oh, sorry, wish I could, but I'm allergic," Ashley said. She hurried off to sit with some friends she'd made in the Navajo hut.

"Oh, of course," Marva Sr. said. "Oh, yes, allergic, you just told me that. How'd you get over there? Oh, well, first day of camp... You'll have to excuse the ol' girl. At least I'm not Putting salt in the sugar shakers yet. I mean, sugar in the salt shakers." She looked around her, to see that both girls had disappeared. "Now, where'd she go?"

* * *

**A/N: Yes, I know that's only like the first ten minutes of the movie, but I wanted to get this out. I'll write the rest and get it up asap, because, as a college student during finals, I have nothing else to do (ha).**

**Thanks for reading it though, and your reviews are much, much, much appreciated!! **

**Samantha.**

**Oh, and wondering what's with the Ryan thing? Go on and worry. Or laugh. Because, hands down, Lucas Grabeel plus a British accent would just make him better than he already is. Did I forget to mention he was wearing a hat through that entire scene?**

**And, I don't own HSM or the Parent Trap, or Lindsey Lohan, or Camp Walden or the song, or anything else. And that pertains to all future chapters of this story, because I don't feel like writing it every time.**


	2. Chapter 2

The next day, both girls were having fun at camp. Vanessa had been playing fencing, and she was winning.

"Touché! Excellent, girls!" Marva Jr. said. "The winner and still undefeated champ from Albuquerque, New Mexico, Miss Vanessa Montez!" Vanessa took a bow in mock accomplishment. "Do we have any challengers? Oh, come on ladies, let's not be damsels in distress, here."

Ashley, who had been playing tennis most of the morning with her friends from the Navajo hut, said, "I'll take a whack at it."

"Okay, we've got ourselves a challenger," Marva Jr. said. Vanessa and Ashley both got dressed in their fencing uniforms.

"Girls ready?" Marva Jr. asked.

"Ready!"

"All set!"

"En garde!" Marva Jr. declared, blowing her whistle, and the battle began.

Vanessa and Ashley dueled each other with the fencing swords all over the camp, even up the steps to the main building, until Vanessa was pushed over the railing and landed in a water trough below the deck.

"Sorry!" Ashley said. "Let me help you."

"No, let _me_ help _you_!" Vanessa said, taking Ashley's outstretched hand and pulling her into the trough as well. Vanessa's friends roared with laughter. Both girls, thoroughly fed up with one another, climbed out of the trough and pulled off their masks, not even looking at each other.

"Well, it looks like we've got ourselves a new camp champ, Miss Ashley Bolton, from London, England!" Marva Jr. declared. "Girls, shake hands." Ashley and Vanessa, both very angry at this point, turn around and grudgingly shake each other's hand. There is some kind of weird energy between the two of them, not to mention it was like looking in a mirror.

"Why's everyone staring?" Vanessa asked.

"Don't you see it?" Ashley asked.

"See what?"

"The resemblance between us."

"Resemblance…between you and me?! Let me see, turn sideways…and now the other way…well…your eyes are much closer together than mine. Your ears, well don't worry, you'll grow into them, your teeth are a little crooked and that nose! Well, don't worry, dear, those things can be fixed," Vanessa scrutinized. Zoe and Nicole laughed. Ashley was not happy, and neither were her friends.

One friend, Danielle, said, "Want me to deck her for ya?"

"Wait, hold on, I'm not finished," Vanessa said. "You want to know the _real_ difference between us?"

"Hmm," Ashley pondered. "I know how to fence and you don't? Or I have class and you don't? Take your pick."

"Why I oughtta…" Vanessa said, balling her hands into fists. Ashley did the same.

Fortunately, Marva Jr. stepped between the two of them. "Okay, ladies, time to break-up this little love fest. Ashley, Vanessa. I mean, Vanessa, Ashley…I mean…whoa." Marva Jr. was amazed at how much they looked alike. The lunch bell rang, and Jackie and Danielle pulled Ashley away, while Zoe and Nicole pulled Vanessa the other way.

"That girl is a major loser," Zoe said.

"Yeah," Nicole agreed. "Too bad you couldn't look like someone cooler." Vanessa sighed.

"Do we really look as much alike as I think we do?" Ashley asked.

"It's just a weird freak of nature," Danielle said. "Please accept my condolences."

* * *

That night, Ashley was having Poker Night in the Navajo hut. No one else really knew how to play, so she was beating everybody pretty easily."

"Sorry, ladies, two pair. Read 'em and weep," Annie said, taking all the loot in the middle of the table. "Is that it? No more takers?" She heard the door to the hut swing closed, as someone walked in. Vanessa. Ashley sighed.

"I'll take a whack at it," Vanessa said, dumping a small bag of quarters onto the table.

"Have a seat, Montez," Ashley said. The cards were dealt. Both girls thought they had the better hand, and they kept betting higher and higher and higher, until everything they had was in the middle.

"Tell you what I'm gonna do," Vanessa said. "I'll make you a little deal. Loser jumps into the lake after the game."

"Excellent," Ashley said.

"Butt naked," Vanessa added.

"Even more excellent," Ashley said. "Start unzipping Montez, a straight. In Diamonds." Vanessa faked being crestfallen.

"You're good, Bolton," Vanessa said. "But not quite good enough. In your honor, a royal flush." She smirked. Ashley turned white. They all went out to the lake (Ashley, Vanessa, Zoe, and Nicole, that is). Ashley stripped down to nothing, and dived in. While she was diving, the other three stole her clothes and ran off with them.

"All right," Ashley said, after she had gotten out of the lake and discovered this. "If that's how you want it, let the games begin!"

The next day, Vanessa and her friends were coming home after a hike. They were hot, sweaty, and tired.

"I'm so tired. I'm crawling back into bed and sleeping until lunch," Vanessa declared. At that moment, they walked up to their hut and Nicole stopped dead.

"That does not even seem like a possibility, babe," she said.

"Why not?" Vanessa asked, slipping off her back.

"_That's_ why not," Nicole said, pointing to the roof of the Arapahoe hut, where every single bed in sitting. The British Union Jack is also flying triumphantly.

"No way," Vanessa said. She was angry now. She gathered her friends into a small huddle and explained what they were going to do in retaliation.

That night, the three girls snuck over into the Navajo hut, and basically destroyed the entire place. Honey is poured into shoes, shaving cream is on pillow cases, string is _everywhere_, chocolate sauce is put into a bucket for some unidentifiable purpose, and the floor is oiled down.

The next morning, Ashley was awoken from her sleep by a bugle playing Reveille very badly into a microphone. She was confused by the sight she sees. She got out of bed, and is not pleased. The other girls woke up and were not pleased either. There was a lot of screaming. Ashley triggered a string that caused a lot of water balloons to rain down beside her. She missed every single one of them, except the last one, which was the biggest.

"That girl is without a doubt the lowest, most awful creature to ever walk the planet!" she declared.

Outside, Vanessa and her friends were watching this. "Thank you, thank you very much," Vanessa said to Nicole and Zoe, who laughed. Just then, the Marvas walked by.

"Morning girls," Marva Sr. said in her megaphone.

"Morning Marvas," the three girls chorused. Then the realization hit them. "Marvas?!"

"Surprise inspection!" Marva Sr. declared through her megaphone. "Navajo!"

They walked up the steps, but Vanessa got there first. "No, no, Marva, do _not_ go in there," Vanessa said, blocking the door. Ashley, seeing this from inside, looked out the window wondering what she was doing. "One of the girls got sick last night and it's a big mess. Save yourself the aggravation. It's really disgusting."

"Well, if someone's sick, dear, then I must go in…" Marva Sr. said. She starts to open the door, to which the bucket of chocolate sauce is connected to, but she didn't know that.

"No, really, let go of that door. I insist. She's highly contagious," Vanessa said, shutting the door even more firmly.

"Actually, we're all fine in here. Unless Vanessa Montez knows something we don't know," Ashley said from inside. Ashley sees the bucket as well and smirks. "Open the door and see for yourself, ma'am." Marva Sr. swung open the door, tipping the bucket over, and got covered in chocolate sauce, along with Marva Jr. Vanessa, having the sense to jump out of the way, just watched as the two grownups slid into the house, and accidentally pulled the string to which the fan was connected, covering themselves in feathers.

"I told you it was bad in here," Vanessa said, apologetically.

"She should know! She did it!" Ashley declared.

"You! And You!" Marva Sr. declared. "Pack your bags!" Both Vanessa and Ashley glared daggers at each other, thoroughly upset that the other has now gotten them into trouble. And also a little scared that they were being kicked out of camp.

* * *

**A/N: So, if you've seen the movie, you know what comes next. Up until now, it's been pretty much the same, hasn't it? Well, it won't be. This will not bore you, I swear. I hope.**

**So, thanks for reading, and please leave me a review!**

**Samantha.**


	3. Chapter 3

But fortunately for them, they were not being kicked out of camp. They were simply being sent to the isolation cabin. The rest of the camp was forced to walk with them all the way there, and were slightly annoyed. Upon their arrival in the Isolation Cabin (as it now deserves capital letters), Ashley and Vanessa found two beds, two trunks, two of everything. They were being forced to live together.

"We've got six weeks left at camp and you two are going to spend every glorious one of them together. You'll eat together, bunk together and do all your activities together. Either you'll find a way to get along or you'll punish yourselves better than I ever could," Marva Sr. said.

"You'll thank us for this, you'll see," Marva Jr. added.

For the first couple of days, it was horrible for both girls. They were forced to eat at their own separate table in the dining hall, and spend all their days together, whether in the cabin or not. They had disagreements about dance, food, even when the lights should be on.

That is, until one day, about the fourth day of them being in the Cabin, it was pouring rain, and the wind was howling. One of the windows was stuck open, and some pictures flew off the bulletin boards. Both girls worked together to close the window, which was a big break through for them, and then they set to work picking up their photos.

"Are any of your pictures ruined?" Ashley asked Vanessa. Vanessa looked around and frowned at a picture of Zac Efron.

"Only the beautiful Zac Efron," Vanessa said, showing Ashley the picture.

"Your boyfriend?" Ashley teased. Vanessa laughed. "No, but seriously, who?"

"You've never heard of Zac Efron? How far away is London, anyway?"

"Well, from here it's a few thousand miles, but it seems like much further," Ashley said. "How far away is your home?"

"Oh, New Mexico's way over on the other end of the country," Vanessa said, holding up a random map of the USA so that Ashley could see. "And…oh! Here's a picture of my house." She held up a picture of the simple house she shared with her mom in Albuquerque.

"Oh, it's pretty," Ashley remarked. She rummaged through her own pictures to find one of her own house. "This is my house." Vanessa looked at it.

"Who's that?" Vanessa asked, pointing to some of the people on the edge of the picture.

"Oh, well, that's my dad," Ashley said. "And his best friend, Chad."

"Well, your dad kind of looks like Zac Efron," Vanessa said. Ashley peered at the picture, and then at the one of Zac.

"I don't see it," she said. Vanessa shrugged. "So what's your father like? I mean, is he one of those types who is always working, or what?" Vanessa shrugged again, reaching into her trunk for mint flavored double stuffed Oreos.

"Want one?" Vanessa asked. Ashley nodded hungrily.

"Yeah, they're my favorite!"

"They are? That is so weird! Mine too!" Vanessa said.

"But you still didn't answer my question," Ashley said. "What's your father like?"

"Well, I've never met my dad," Vanessa said, taking a bite of her Oreo. "All I know is that Mom misses him a lot sometimes, and I've got this one picture of him. Come to think of it, _he_ looks a bit like Zac Efron. What's your mother like?"

"Well, I don't have a mother. Well, I suppose I must have had one, once," Ashley said, also eating some Oreos. "But I know she was really beautiful. Dad doesn't really talk about her. At all. Ever. She's like taboo, or something."

"Weird," Vanessa commented. "So, how old are you?"

"I'll be twelve on October 11th," Ashley said. Vanessa almost choked on her Oreo.

"So will I!" Vanessa said.

"Your birthday's October 11th?" Ashley asked. Vanessa nodded. "That's weird."

"Very," Vanessa said. "Hey, it's stopped raining. Do you want to get a popsicle or something?" Ashley couldn't think about food at a time like that. She was fingering her locket. "What's that?"

"It's my locket," Ashley said. "I could it when I was born. It has an A on it." Vanessa gasped and pulled out her own, matching, locket.

"I have one too! Except it has a V on it," Vanessa said. "That's weird."

"Vanessa," Ashley said, suddenly, "this can't be just coincidence."

"It can't be?" Vanessa asked. "Why not?"

"Don't you realize what's happening?! Don't you find it peculiar that we both look so much alike and have the same birthday and…" Ashley began. Then she gasped. "Oh man, this is beyond coincidence, this is beyond imagination! I only have a father, you only have a mother.. You've never seen your Dad, I've never seen my Mom. And, to make matters even stranger, both our fathers look like Zac Efron. Don't you see?"

"We're actually twins and our real dad is Zac Efron?" Vanessa joked.

"No!" Ashley said. She rummaged in her trunk for some pictures. "This is a picture of my mom. It's ripped right down the middle. My dad gave it to me when I was little." Vanessa looked at it, eyes wide. Then she rummaged in her trunk for a picture.

"This is a picture of my dad," she said. "And it's ripped right down the middle."

"This is spooky," Ashley commented. "On the count of three, we show each other the pictures. One…"

"Two…" Vanessa continued.

"Three!" both girls said together. The pictures fit together perfectly, to form the picture that was taken of Troy and Gabriella on the boat the might they were married.

"Whoa!" Vanessa said. "That's my mom!"

"That's my dad!" Ashley said.

"That's the lunch bell," Vanessa said, hearing the lunch bell. "And suddenly, I'm not so hungry anymore."

"So, if your Mom is my Mom and my Dad is your Dad," Ashley began.

"And we're both born on October 11th," Vanessa said. "That mean you and I are, like, sisters!"

"Sisters?" Ashley asked, incredulously. "Nessa, we're twins!"

"Oh my God. I'm a twin?! There's two of me! I mean, two of us? Wow! This is like…I have to sit down," Vanessa said. The twins sat down on Ashley's bed, and started examining themselves. They were perfectly identical in every way. Except in personality.

Later that evening, in the dining hall, the girls were sitting at their isolation table, discussing their newfound lives.

"You know, I don't know what it was they were fighting about, but it must have been pretty bad for them to separate us like that," Ashley said.

"I can't imagine anyone not getting along with Mom," Vanessa said. "Everyone loves her."

"There is one person who I know ever bad-mouthed her," Ashley said.

"Who?" Vanessa said.

"She's not important," Ashley said. "They used to go to school together, I think, but she's gone now. There's no problems."

"Ash, you have to tell me," Vanessa said. "This might be important!"

"Okay, fine, it's Sharpay Evans," Ashley said.

"Who?" Vanessa said. "Her name is Sharpay? Like the dog?"

"Yeah," Ashley said. "She…whatever. She doesn't like mom."

"Oh," Vanessa said. "Well, that's just mean."

"Exactly," Ashley agreed.

"And it's funny how neither ever got remarried," Vanessa said. "Not even close."

"I know," Ashley said. "You know what that means, don't you?"

"No," Vanessa said.

"It means, that secretly, deep, deep down, they're still in love with each other," Ashley explained.

"Wow," Vanessa said. "That's deep. But then why haven't they tried to see each other all these years?"

"They are stupid, stupid people," Ashley said.

"That's for sure," Vanessa said. "I mean, they, like, totally separated us from each other. Forever!"

"Word," Ashley said. Vanessa giggled.

Later that night, both girls were lying in their beds, which they had pushed together in the center of the room. Suddenly, Vanessa sat up.

"I have a brilliant beyond brilliant idea," she declared. Ashley rolled over to look at her.

"What?" Ashley asked.

"Okay, so you want to know what Mom is like, right?" Vanessa asked. Ashley nodded. "And I am _dying_ to know Dad. So, we should switch places! When camp's over, I go back to London as you, and you'll go back to Albuquerque as me!" Ashley frowned. "Come on, Ash, we can pull it off. We're twins, aren't we?"

"We are totally and completely, one hundred percent different!" Ashley declared.

"So?" Vanessa said. "I'll teach you to be me, and you teach me to be you!" Ashley was still skeptical. "Come on, I can do you already." Vanessa pulled her hair back, and adopted a British accent. "You want to the know the difference between us? I have class and you don't!" Ashley smiled, and Vanessa dropped the act. "Come on, I gotta meet my Dad!"

"The truth is, sooner or later, they'll have to unswitch us," Ashley said.

"And when they do, they'll have to meet again," Vanessa said. "Face to Face. After all these years!"

"Well done," Ashley said, applauding. Vanessa lie back down in bed.

"See? I told you I'm brilliant."

**A/N: Well, so that's it for this chapter. I don't own anything, as usual, and I hope this was creative enough for you. More creativity sparks next chapter, hopefully. And if not then, then the chapter after that, when they go home. Until next time…**

**Thanks for reading, and please review!**

**Samantha.**


	4. Chapter 4

The next day, they put Vanessa's "brilliant beyond brilliant" plan into action. And it was quite brilliant.

"Okay, so here's the dining room, but we never eat in there except on Thanksgiving, Christmas, and of course, October 11th. The parlor's here, and Dad's office is the first door down the hall. You never have to knock, if you do, he'll think it's odd," Ashley was saying, pointing to various places on a sheet of paper that she'd drawn a floorplan of her house on.

The girls took turns teaching each other things, including introducing them to the basic people they'd have to know.

"Okay, so this is Chad," Ashley said. "He's dad's best friend. Sometimes we go out and play 'ball' as he calls it."

"You play 'ball'?" Vanessa asked, looking Ashley up and down. "You don't look like you've ever played 'ball' in your life."

"Well, it's dad and Chad that play, mostly. They tried to teach me how to shoot a 'foul shot' or whatever it's called, but I was terrible," Ashley said.

"Okay, be terrible at basketball, there's another thing on my to-do list," Vanessa teased. She held up a picture from her side. "This is Taylor and Kelsi. They're mom's best friends. Taylor's pretty smart and stuff, and Kelsi is pretty musical."

"Musical?" Ashley asked.

"Yeah, she writes songs and stuff," Vanessa said. "And then she gets me to sing them, because mom won't."

"Why won't she?" Ashley asked. "Can't she sing?"

"She can. Really well. Sometimes I hear her singing in the shower, or other times when she thinks no one else can hear her," Vanessa said. "Always the same song. Something about breaking free…"

"Breaking Free?" Ashley asked. "Hmm, that sounds familiar."

"Yeah, whatever," Vanessa said. "Who else you got?"

"Okay," said Ashley, snapping back into reality. She held up a picture. "This is Ryan. He's like the best person ever. Like a best friend and a dad and a personal fashion advisor all rolled into one."

"That's multi-tasking," Vanessa remarked.

"Right," Ashley said. "And we have this secret handshake, so you'll need to learn that, too. Oh, and out of all the guys, Ryan's the only one who picked up the British accent. Sometimes dad says it's a miracle I picked it up at all."

"It sure is," Vanessa said. "And all this didn't make you wonder about mom and America?"

"Not really," Ashley said. Vanessa found that odd, but dropped it. "Okay, last picture. This is Sharpay."

"The woman who hates mom?" Vanessa asked. Ashley nodded. "You said she was gone."

"Well, she is gone," Ashley said. "But you still have to know about her."

"She looks familiar," Vanessa said. "I can't quite put my finger on it."

"Okay, so she's Ryan's twin sister," Ashley explained. "And she's basically the devil. She's like the blond-haired witch who, every so often, decides to come and visit. And she flirts with dad the whole time. It's sickening."

"Gross," Vanessa said. "What do we do?"

"Nothing, usually," Ashley said. "Dad can usually stave her off by himself. He's never really liked her."

"Oh, cool then," Vanessa said.

* * *

A few days later, Vanessa and Ashley were in the Isolation Cabin, in front of a mirror. Vanessa was wielding a pair of scissors.

"Okay, I'm ready," Ashley said. She sat down on a stool, and braced herself. Her life's work, this perfect long hair was all going to waste. Vanessa took a piece of Ashley's hair and positioned the scissors on it, closing her eyes. "Don't close your eyes!"

"Oh, right, sorry," Vanessa said. "I'm just a little nervous."

"You're nervous? An eleven-year-old is cutting my hair!" Ashley said, doing her best Vanessa impression.

"Hey, you just sounded just like me," Vanessa said.

"Well, I'm supposed to aren't I?" Ashley said. "Just do it already." Vanessa carefully cut the piece of Ashley's hair that she was still holding.

"Looking good," Vanessa said, moving around Ashley. When they were all finished, they both stood in front of the mirror. They looked even more identical than before, if that was possible.

"This. Is. Scary," Ashley said, feeling her new hair.

"Honey, you never looked better," Vanessa said. "Oh, no."

"What?"

"I have pierced ears."

"What? No, no, no, no. Sorry, wrong number, I won't," Ashley insisted. "I refuse."

"Then cutting your hair was a complete waste," Vanessa said. "There is no way I can go to camp with pierced ears and come home without them. Get real." A mini-argument ensued, but Vanessa won, and lit up a match to sterilize a needle. Why she had a match or a needle is a mystery.

"You sure you know what you're doing?" asked Ashley, very frightened, holding an ice cube to her ear.

"Of _course_. I've gone with all my friends to have their ears pierced. It's _nothing_. Just close your eyes, it'll all be over before you know it. Earring ready?" Ashley held up the earring. "Good. Hand me the apple." Ashley did. "On the count of three, remove the ice. One, two, three!" Ashley pulled the ice away, and Vanessa impaled her ear and the apple with the needle. Both girls screamed very loudly in the night that had fast approached.

* * *

Five minutes later, Vanessa was being slapped by a uni-earringed Ashley.

"Vanessa, wake up!" Ashley said. Vanessa sat up.

"Are you bleeding to death?" Vanessa asked.

"No," Ashley said. "But I can't go around with one earring like that girl from Grease, can I?"

"Well, no," Vanessa said. Ashley held up the needle for Vanessa to take, but Vanessa passed out again.

"Nessa!" Ashley cried in annoyance.

* * *

On the last day of camp, it was a sad, sad state of affairs. Everyone was sad about leaving. Danielle, Zoe, and Nicole all hugged Vanessa and Ashley good-bye, and clambered onto their buses. Or who they thought was Vanessa and Ashley. They had switched clothes, mannerisms and everything. Ashley was in overalls, for crying out loud!

"Okay, so remember, you're going to find out how mom and dad met," Vanessa-as-Ashley said.

"And you're going to figure out why they broke up," Ashley-as-Vanessa said.

"Ashley Bolton! You're car's here! Front and center, Ashley Bolton!" Marva Jr. called.

"That's you," Ashley said.

"Last call, Ashley Bolton," Marva Jr. called.

"Ohmygod, Ashley, wait!" Vanessa said. "The lockets! We have to switch the lockets!" The two girls quickly switched lockets, and hugged.

"Vanessa Montez! You're car is waiting! And Ashley Bolton! Let's go, girls!" Marva Jr. called.

"Okay, so that's both of us," Vanessa said. "See you soon!"

"You too," Ashley said. They hugged one last time, and Ashley climbed into the regular car waiting for Vanessa, and Vanessa climbed into the limo waiting for Ashley.

* * *

Later that afternoon, Ashley was on a plane across the states, off to New Mexico. "Okay, this is it. Oh, God, I hope she likes me. Please like me," she said to no one in particular. When the plane landed, she disembarked it, and claimed her baggage, all before spotting the three women running toward her.

"Vanessa!" Gabriella cried. She picked her up. "You've grown."

"Um, thanks, I guess," Ashley said. She had dropped her accent for good now, as she was pretending to be Vanessa. "You too."

"No, she hasn't," Taylor said. "She's still short as ever."

"Not fair," Gabriella teased. "But Kelsi's still the shortest."

"When did you guys start acting like teenagers?" Ashley asked. "Seriously, mom." Gabriella laughed.

"Come on, let's get you home," Gabriella said. All four girls walked out of Albuquerque Airport, and got into a car, which was promptly driven to Gabriella's house, where she and Vanessa lived. It was quaint, in a sense, or at least, that's what Ashley thought about it.

"15 Cottage Lane," Ashley said to herself, as she got out of the car and walked into the house. "Home Sweet Home." She was so happy to be here, finally, that she started crying.

"What is it, sweetie?" Gabriella asked, hugging her daughter.

"It's just…I've missed you so much," Ashley said.

"Can you believe it? It seems like it's been forever," Gabriella said.

"You have no idea," Ashley said.

* * *

Later that afternoon, Ashley and Gabriella were sitting at a table eating lunch. Taylor and Kelsi had gone home, because they had things to do, but they had wanted to see Vanessa (who was really Ashley, but they didn't know that) before they did them.

"So tell me all about camp," Gabriella said.

"Well, it was kind of boring actually," Ashley said. "I did make some friends, though, and they were pretty cool."

"Anyone in particular?" Gabriella asked, absent-mindedly, and taking a bite of her food.

"Oh, you know, the usual," Ashley said. "Just a whole bunch of people who have never heard of where I live. Telling me that California, or London would be cooler." Gabriella didn't pick up the hint about London, or chose to ignore it, as the case might have been. "Have you ever been to California or London?"

"Well, I used to live in California, before I moved to Albuquerque," Gabriella said. "But that was when I was still in high school. And I've never been to London. I try to keep to the continent."

"Why?"

"I don't know." The phone rang to save them from the awkward silence. "Hello? Oh, hi! Really? Can't you manage without me? But Vanessa just got home from camp. It's the middle of the summer, why do you need to find the equipment now? But…" Ashley stopped listening. She got up from the table, put her plates in the sink, and started exploring the downstairs area of the house. "Nessa?" Ashley looked up, afraid she had done something wrong. "Would you mind coming down to the school with me? There are some incompetent losers down there who can't figure anything out."

"No, I don't mind at all," Ashley said. Both girls left the house in Gabriella's car, and five minutes later, they were arriving at East High School. "Whoa."

"Whoa what?" Gabriella asked. "You've been here a billion times."

"Oh, yeah," Ashley said, hurriedly covering up for her slip. "But not in so long, I'd…forgotten."

"Camp must have been one helluva place," Gabriella commented. "It's just a school." They walked into the school, and down the first floor hallway. Ashley had to stifle a gasp when she saw a big poster with her dad and his friends on it. And some pictures down the hall of Sharpay and Ryan. _What kind of place is this?_ Ashley thought. Why they still had those posters up after, like, fifteen years, no one really knew. Gabriella directed the both of them down another hall, and into a science lab. Gabriella walked over to the principal, and a teacher, who were both pitiful and hopeless in her opinion. "The sheets are over here in this cabinet," Gabriella said. "And the prisms are in that drawer, and the slinkys are over there, and…" Ashley took in the classroom. She couldn't figure out what for the life of her they taught there. She opened the nearest drawer.

"Awesome," she said, pulling out a slinky. It was pink. Ashley's favorite color was pink. Vanessa's was blue, though.

"Vanessa, would you come over here and help us please?" Gabriella asked. Ashley jumped up, put the slinky back and went to help her mom, Principal Matsui, and the teacher sort out the stuff that had to be sorted. It was a lot of fun. When they were finished an hour later, Gabriella and Ashley left the school, to drive back home.

"Mom, doesn't being in that school make you think about the F word?" Ashley asked.

"The F word?" Gabriella asked.

"My father," Ashley said.

"Oh, _that_ F word," Gabriella laughed. "Sometimes. We both went to school there, you know."

"No kidding," Ashley said. "So, why don't you ever talk about dad?"

"Why the sudden curiosity about him, anyways?" Gabriella asked.

"Well, maybe because he's never mentioned, and you can't blame a kid for wondering," Ashley said. "So, what was he like?"

"Who?" Gabriella asked. Ashley sighed.

"Mother, you can't avoid the subject forever," Ashley said.

"Okay, fine," Gabriella said. "He was quite lovely to tell the truth. Actually, entirely lovely. All right?"

"All right," Ashley said. "So, did you meet him here in Albuquerque?" Gabriella sighed.

"I _knew_ you would start asking these questions someday," Gabriella said.

"Well, did you?"

"No, not the first time," Gabriella said. "We were on vacation in Colorado the first time."

"The first time?" Ashley asked.

"Well, yes," Gabriella asked. "And then me and your grandmother moved to Albuquerque from San Diego, and it turned out we both went to the same school."

"Is that when you started singing?" Ashley asked.

"Yes, it was," Gabriella said. She parked the car in her garage, and turned to look at her daughter. "All right?"

"All right," Ashley said. Gabriella and Ashley both got out of the car, and Ashley smiled to herself. "Dear old Dad. I wonder what he's doing at this very moment?"

* * *

**A/N: Wow, so Ashley's having a great time in Albuquerque. I wonder how Vanessa's adapting to London. And why is that giant poster of Troy and the Wildcats that is very convenient to sing to still up fifteen years later? You got me. It was a talking point. Haha, the F word. That's from the movie and I thought it was funny. So, thanks for reading, and please, please, PLEASE review!!**

**Samantha.**


	5. Chapter 5

Meanwhile, in London, England (more specifically at Heathrow Airport), there was a very awed Vanessa. She had never left North America before (although she had been to both Mexico and Canada), and London was just so different. She was just in the airport, but wow. She stood up on some chairs to see over the sea of heads, and spotted a rather fashionable hat that could only belong to one person.

"Ashley!" the owner of the hat called out.

"Ryan!" Vanessa said, adopting the British accent she would wear when she was in Europe. Ryan picked her up and swung her about.

"Something's different," Ryan said. "Wait, let me see…your hair. It's shorter. Aaand…you've gotten your ears pierced."

"Um, yeah, that's right," Vanessa said. "A girl I know from camp did it."

"Well, I think it looks lovely," Ryan said. "It's the new you! Give me five, girlfriend." He extended his hand to her and she took it, performing the handshake Ashley had taught her. Then, they went and claimed baggage, and drove home. In a limo. Vanessa was fascinated, because she had also never been in a limo before.

"This is so amazing! What a city!" Vanessa remarked.

"Eight weeks at camp and suddenly you're an American tourist," Ryan said, laughing.

"That's what camp is for silly," Vanessa said. "It makes you appreciate home. I just love how everyone drives on the wrong side of the road here. I mean, here they actually drive on the right side, but after being in America for so long where they drive on the wrong side, which after a while begins to feel like the right side, makes this seem like the wrong side." Ryan stared, but then nodded.

"I know what you mean," he said.

"Yeah, and so– Oh my God, that's Buckingham Palace! Can we stop? I'm dying to see one of the guards up close," Vanessa said.

"You've seen them up close a bazillion times," Ryan said.

"But never with short hair and pierced ears," Vanessa pointed out. "Come on, Ry!"

"Did they serve you anything funny to drink on that plane?" Ryan asked as he signaled the limo to pull over. Vanessa got out and ran over to one of the guards, who completely ignored her.

"Hi, there. How are you?" No response. "My name's Vanessa, I'm from Albuquerque. We don't have anything like you there," Vanessa whispered. "Well, actually, my mom has a nutcracker shaped like you, but that's about it. Hey, is the Queen home? I know you can't answer. Oh, the flag is flying. She is home." All of a sudden, the guard snapped to attention. All the other guards did the same. Then the gates opened, and white Rolls Royce rolled out the gates. "Oh, jeez." The back window stopped dead even with Vanessa, and rolled down. Vanessa had to retain a lot of self control to keep from freaking out or fainting.

"Good Afternoon," the Queen said.

"Good Afternoon," Vanessa replied.

"What's your name, dear?" the Queen asked.

"Vanessa Montez. I mean, Ashley Bolton. Not Vanessa Bolton. Sorry. Forgot my name."

"Yes, I have that effect on people. So nice to meet you Ashley Bolton. Thank you for stopping by the Palace today."

"Thank you, Your Highness. Very nice to meet you personally like this. I saw the flag flying, and I knew that meant you were home. And I was really excited to see the guards. I'm supposed to curtsy, aren't I?"

"That's okay, my dear, I shan't tell a single soul. I promise," the Queen said.

"Oh, thank you, ma'am," Vanessa replied.

"Ta-ta!" the Queen said.

"Ta-ta," Vanessa said, as the window rolled up and the Rolls drove off. Vanessa, still a little star struck, got back into her own limo, and they set off again for home.

"Now that's a first," the palace guard remarked quietly to himself, as they did so.

* * *

"It was just so cool, you know," Vanessa said to Ryan. "I met the Queen. Of England. I met the Queen of England."

"Yes, I know, I was watching," Ryan said. He was pouting a little, slightly upset he hadn't gotten to meet the Queen, but they arrived home soon enough, and Ryan unloaded all Vanessa's luggage. Well, Ashley's luggage.

"Hey, welcome home, kiddo," came a voice. Vanessa whipped around to see her dad standing on the porch of the ginormous house they had pulled up to.

"Dad. Finally," Vanessa said, running up to Troy and hugging him.

"I hope you had a lousy time at camp, because you are _never_ going back," Troy said. "I missed you too much. What happened to you? Something's changed. Did you get taller?"

"Shorter hair, and pierced ears," Ryan whispered on his way inside with the luggage.

"That was my next guess," Troy said. "So, you cut your hair. That's great. I was always saying you should. And pierced ears. Well. Guess we'll have to get you some earrings."

"Sure, Dad," Vanessa said.

"There aren't any more surprises, are there? Belly button rings…tattoos…biker dude boyfriends…?"

"Dad!" Vanessa said, embarrassed. Troy laughed.

"I'm just kidding," he said. "Eight weeks really is too long, Ash. So much has been happening around here." The two walked inside the house, and Vanessa kept staring at Troy. "What's the matter? Did I cut myself shaving?"

"It's just…seeing you for the first time…I mean, you know, in such a long time…you look taller to me, too, Dad," Vanessa said. Troy laughed.

"You keep saying 'Dad' at the end of every sentence," Troy remarked.

"I'm sorry. I didn't realize I was doing it, Dad," Vanessa said. "Sorry, Dad." There was a pause, while both kept walking through the maze that was the first floor of the European Bolton house. "Do you want to know why I keep saying 'Dad', Dad? The truth?"

"Because you missed me so much," Troy said.

"Exactly!" Vanessa said. "It's because in my whole life, I mean for these past eight weeks, I was never able to ever say the word 'Dad'. Never. Not once! And a Dad is an irreplaceable person in a girl's life. I mean think about it, there's a whole day, devoted to celebrating Fathers, right? Just imagine, someone's life without a Father. Never buying a Father's Day card, never getting their Father a birthday present, never sitting on their Father's lap, never being able to say, 'Hi, Dad', 'What's up, Dad?', 'Bye, Dad', 'Catch you later, Dad'. A baby's first words are always 'Dada', aren't they? Then there's 'Daddy', 'Daddio', 'Pop', 'My old man'... Not to mention, 'Wait til your father gets home', and–"

"So, let me see if I get this. You missed being able to call me Dad," Troy summarized.

"Yeah. I really have, Dad," Vanessa said. They reached the other side of the house, and Boi barked. "Hi, Boi!" Boi immediately ran through the open door to the backyard, and under a beach chair. "That's weird."

"What's the matter with you?" Troy announced to the backyard at large, but he was talking to Boi. "It's Ashley!"

"Oi, Ashley," Ryan called from inside the house.

"Yes, Ryan," Vanessa said.

"Are you going to unpack, or am I going to have to suffer the misgivings of doing it wrong again?" Ryan said. Vanessa laughed.

"I'm coming," she said.

"Hey, Ash, when you're done come out here, there's someone I want you to re-meet," Troy said. Vanessa turned around and went up the stairs toward the sound of Ryan's voice.

"Someone he wants me to re-meet?" Vanessa asked, skeptically. "Is that even a word?"

"No," Ryan said. "It is, in fact, not a word." Vanessa crossed to the window in her bedroom overlooking the backyard (complete with pool, because, why not?) and saw a lot of pink sitting in a chair.

"Sharpay?" Vanessa asked tentatively. Ryan nodded.

"Unfortunately," Ryan said.

"Isn't she your sister?" Vanessa asked.

"Technically," Ryan said. "We shared a womb, one, I suppose, but other than that we really have nothing in common. Beside the fact that we kind of look alike and have the same last name. But don't let me influence you. Meet – I mean 're-meet' – her for yourself. Maybe you'll like her. Besides, it's none of my business how your dad makes a fool of himself–"

"No, unfortunately, that's my job," Chad said, walking into the room.

"Sick of her already?" Ryan asked, smirking.

"Ha," Chad said. "Are you kidding? I was never out there to begin with. Thank God you're home Ashley. Knock some sense into your father, will you?"

"I can try," Vanessa said. "What is she doing here?"

"Do you really need an answer to that?" Chad asked. "She's Sharpay. She can do whatever she wants, whenever she wants. And Troy doesn't know the word 'no' when she's within a five mile radius." Vanessa nodded knowingly, realizing too late, that she wouldn't really know what that meant, because of the metric system.

"It's the simple virtue of being an Evans," Ryan explained. "We know what to do, and what strings to pull."

"Dude, you're accent's slipping," Chad remarked.

"I'm thinking of dropping it, actually," Ryan said. "Sharpay decided to pick one up."

"Ick," Chad and Vanessa said at the same time.

"But, anyways, don't let us influence you," Ryan said, now sounding the most American of anyone present, "meet her for yourself. Or re-meet. Or whatever." Ryan and Chad left Vanessa in Ashley's room, and she changed into a swimsuit and a beach cover up, complete with pink sunglasses and flip flops. She walked back down the stairs, remembering from camp, where everything was. She saw a baby picture on the mantle, as she walked through the parlor.

"We were such a cute baby," Vanessa remarked. Then, remembering her duties, she walked out the back doors to the pool.

"Ah, there's my girl. Ash, this is Sharpay Evans. And Shar, you know Ashley," Troy said.

"Hi," Vanessa said.

"Wow," Sharpay said. "I can't believe that's her, Troy. She looks so much older from the last time I was here."

"I am older than the last time you were here," Vanessa pointed out.

"I have looked forward to this all summer," Sharpay said.

"Really? Well, here I am," Vanessa said.

"I expected to see the little girl I used to know but you…are so grown up," Sharpay said.

"I'll be twelve soon. How old are you?" Vanessa said. Sharpay and Troy exchanged looks.

"The same age as me, but I didn't tell you that," Troy whispered. Vanessa laughed. He raised his voice to normal, and continued. "So, I'm going to go get some food, and a bottle of champagne to celebrate."

"What are we celebrating?" Vanessa asked.

"You're homecoming, of course!" Sharpay said. Troy and Sharpay exchanged looks that made Vanessa certain that was _not_ what they were celebrating, but she dropped it, and sat in the chaise nest to Sharpay, while Troy went back into the house. Sharpay's phone started ringing (the ringtone, of course, was "Fabulous") and she flipped it open. "Hello? Oh, yes. Uh-huh. I'll certainly ask, but I'm afraid Mr. Bolton will be out of the country on those days. Uh-huh. Yeah, okay, bye." She snapped the phone shut. "So, Ashley. How was camp? Was it fabulous?"

"My Dad's going out of the country?" Vanessa said.

"Um, no, I just told a harmless little white lie to get him out of something," Sharpay said. There was a very long pause, in which neither girl spoke. Fortunately, it was broken by Ryan dragging Chad out to the pool area.

"No, I don't want to! Don't make me! You can't make me! I don't dance!" Chad was saying. Ryan pulled him dead even with Sharpay's chaise. "I mean, hi."

"Hi, Chad," Sharpay said. "You're in my sun."

"I know," Chad said, moving slightly to the left to remove himself from Sharpay's sun. "Ryan says I have to come out here, and I have to be civil.

"That would be nice," Sharpay said. Chad crossed his arms and sat down in the chaise farthest to the right of Sharpay's and Vanessa's. Ryan sat in the one next to Vanessa's. Sharpay sighed.

"It's out with the old, and in with the new, goodbye clouds of grey, hello skies of bl–" Sharpay began.

"No!" Chad and Ryan said at the same time.

"Seriously, you've been singing that song for 15 years," Chad said. "Find something new to sing." Sharpay made a noise in shocked outrage, and Troy came skidding out of the house, carrying a bottle of champagne.

"Okay, here we go, some of the best Champagne this side of the Mississippi. I mean, Atlantic," Troy said. Vanessa smiled. Troy caught sight of Chad with his arms crossed, and the Evans' twins soaking up the sun. "Did you guys find something to do while I was inside?" No one said a word. Troy looked directly at his daughter.

"Sure, Dad," Vanessa said.

* * *

**A/N: So, the delay on this is due to my extreme laziness. It had nothing to do with the fact that I haven't been home in five days. I was being lazy. I own diddily-squat, as always. Thanks for reading, and please review. Even if it is to say that Ryan is being mean about Sharpay. Even though I know that.**

**Samantha.**


	6. Chapter 6

A phone rang in the Bolton Residence. Chad walked right by it without picking it up. He was reading the paper, and it wasn't his phone to pick up.

"Can somebody get that?!" Troy yelled from upstairs. Ryan sighed and picked up the phone. He wasn't a butler.

"Bolton Residence. Ashley?" Ryan asked the phone.

"Yes, Ryan?" Vanessa said, from beside him. Ryan did a double take.

"That's funny, it's sounds just like you on the phone. I'm sorry, to whom did you wish to speak? Ashley? Of course. One moment please." Ryan turned to Vanessa. "A Mildred Plotker for you. Sounds just like your twin."

"My twin? Very funny. Good one, Ryan," Vanessa said, taking the phone. "Hello? Oh, Mildred, darling. How are you?"

Ashley was on the other side of the phone, sitting in the bathroom of the Montez residence in the middle of the night. "Hey. How's it going over there?" she asked.

"Oh, everything's quite lovely here. We're expecting a bit of rain today, but Mildred, can you hang on a tic?" Vanessa asked. Vanessa ducked into a cupboard-under-the-stairs right next to where she had been standing with the phone, and started acting like herself again. "Okay, now I can talk. What's up?"

"Well, let's see," Ashley said. "OhmyGod, mom's incredible. I cannot believe I lived my entire life without knowing here. She's beautiful and fun and smart and I love the school where she works, _and_ I even got her talking about how she and Dad met, and it was so beautiful. They were singing in Colorado, and then she transferred to his school. What's up with you?"

"Oh, nothing much," Vanessa lied. "Dad's awesome too."

"What's really going on?" Ashley asked. "And what happened to Ryan's accent?"

"Well, he decided to drop it," Vanessa said. "Because _she's_ here." Ashley gasped.

"Oh, no," Ashley said. "That's not good. You've got to bring Dad out here immediately!"

"No," Vanessa said. "I can handle this myself. Plus, I've only had one day over here _and_ I met the Queen."

"You met the _Queen_?" Ashley asked, incredulously. "I sorted slinkies at East High, and you met the Queen? What did you even say?"

"That's kind of a long story," Vanessa said. "But, anyways, can you give me any ideas on how to get rid of Sharpay without coming all the way over there? I'm at a slight disadvantage. I only met the man eighteen hours ago."

"I don't know! Sabotage her, do whatever you have to," Ashley said. "Do _not_ let her stay."

"Honestly, she doesn't seem that bad," Vanessa said. "Yet."

"Exactly. Yet. And then she swoops. How long has she even been there? OhmyGod, she's been there all summer, hasn't she? I knew I shouldn't have left for camp. I knew this would happen," Ashley rambled.

"Ashley!" Vanessa said. "Get a grip. I'm sure everything will be fine. So, go to sleep. It's gotta be like midnight."

"Yeah, okay," Ashley said. "But promise me you'll make her leave."

"Yes, I promise," Vanessa said. "Whatever. Oh, and next time, can't you just call my – your – cell phone?"

"Oh, yeah, I forgot about that. Where is yours, anyway?" Ashley asked.

"It's in my room, in the drawer of my nightstand," Vanessa said. "Where's yours?"

"Same place," Ashley said.

"Fabulous," Vanessa said.

"No. No, no, no. We do not say 'fabulous'," Ashley reprimanded.

"Okay, whatever," Vanessa said. "Go to bed."

"Okay, toodles," Ashley said. Vanessa rolled her eyes.

"TTYL," Vanessa said. Both girls hung up. Vanessa crawled out of the cupboard, to the staring faces of Ryan and Chad. "Hey guys. I had a phone call. From a friend at camp. It's an old camp tradition. Talk to your friend from inside a closet. Kinda stupid, I know but…" She put the phone back on the phone table. "Breakfast anyone?"

"Yes, it's ready whenever you want to eat it," Ryan said. "And then your father wants to talk to you."

"He wants to talk to me? What about?" Vanessa asked. "Where is he?"

"He and Miss 'I'll just have half a grapefruit, thank you' went out early this morning," Chad grumbled. "Something about…something." The three walked towards the kitchen and dining area.

"But there's toast and English muffins–" Ryan began.

"You know, here they just call them 'muffins'," Chad said.

"And crumpets and all those other British foods," Ryan said. "How about it?"

"I'm not really hungry," Vanessa lied. Actually, she was very hungry, but she wanted real eggs and bacon. "I'm going to go meet Dad. See you guys later!" Vanessa turned around to walk the other way. Boi was standing there. "Hi, Boi!" Boi barked and ran into the nearest room. "That dog has gotten so weird." She hurried out to the back of the house.

Troy was waiting for his daughter in some little building on the back of the premises, the function of which he had long since forgotten. It didn't really mater what it was for, or if any real British person would know. Troy didn't pretend to know, nor did he pretend to be British. Why he had even moved to London in the first place was beyond him.

Vanessa ran up to Troy, and hugged him around the middle. Troy laughed.

"Honey, I'm glad you're here," Troy said. "There's something really important I want to talk to you about."

"That's funny, because there's something really important I want to talk to you about," Vanessa said.

"Okay, I want to talk about Sharpay," Troy said.

"And I want to talk about my mother," Vanessa said. "What about Sharpay?"

"Well, what about your mother?" Troy asked.

"Dad, I'm almost twelve. How long do you expect me to buy that story that the stork left me on your doorstep?" Vanessa asked.

"C'mon, Ash, we've talked about your mother…"

"No, we haven't. Not really. A girl needs more in life than half a crumpled old photograph. I'm almost a teenager. Face it, I need a mother," Vanessa said.

"You know what? You're right. Which brings me to–" Troy and Vanessa turned a corner and emerged into bright sunlight on the other side of the little building, where there was a very pink golf cart with the initials "SE" on the front, and a Sharpay sitting in it.

"Troy!" Sharpay said. "Oh, hey, Ash."

"Hi, Shar," Vanessa said, staring at the other man standing next to Sharpay.

"You remember Zeke, right?" Troy said to Vanessa. Vanessa shrugged, because Ashley hadn't mentioned him.

"That's okay," Zeke said. "I'm easy to forget." Vanessa and Zeke shook hands.

"Did you tell her?" Sharpay whispered to Troy.

"Almost," Troy whispered back.

"So, if you're free later, why don't we all have lunch on the terrace?" Sharpay asked. Vanessa went to nod, but Troy cut her off.

"Actually, I promised Ash we'd hang out this afternoon," Troy said.

"No problem," Sharpay said, getting back in her golf cart. "I have plenty to do. There is plenty of sun, and it is just waiting for me to soak in up. I'll be back here, when you're finished waiting for Y-O-U. See you later, babe. Bye Ash." Sharpay blew a kiss to Troy, started up her golf cart. "First change I make in this house is to send that little brat off to boarding school in Timbuktu."

"Ice princess," Zeke reminded her.

"Tell me about it," Sharpay said, driving off.

* * *

In Albuquerque, Gabriella was making breakfast for her daughter, who came lazily down the stairs, yawning, almost as soon as it was finished.

"Okay, here we go, most important meal of the day. Eggs sunny side up, bacon, toast and just in case you're really hungry, a stack of humongous chocolate chip pancakes which smell incredible, if I do say so myself," Gabriella declared. Ashley sat down and stared at it.

"Thanks, mom," she said.

"You're not hungry again? You hardly ate your dinner last night, which was tacos, your favorite food in the world, and now you're not eating breakfast? Are you sick, hunny?" Gabriella asked, feeling Ashley's forehead.

"I'm fine. I promise," Ashley said. "So, what are we going to do today?"

"Well, the girls have already been here, but they're coming over again. You overslept, and we didn't want to wake you. Of course, I'd oversleep too if I was up until midnight making mysterious phone calls in the bathroom." Ashley turned red.

"Oh that," she said. "I was, uh, calling a friend from camp. Mildred. She lives in…New York."

"Oh, so you waited until it was a convenient time for her. Because of the time difference."

"Exactly, because of the time difference."

"So you waited until it was two in the morning, her time. That makes perfect sense."

"Actually–" Ashley began, causing Gabriella to stare at her. "Actually, it was six at night her time. See, she lives in New York, but she was on vacation with her family in Bora Bora."

"Very smooth," Gabriella said. "Are you going to eat any of that?" Ashley shrugged, but was saved having to find an answer, by the doorbell. Gabriella looked over her shoulder at her daughter as she went to get it. It was, of course, Taylor and Kelsi.

"Saved by the bell," Ashley said to herself, eating some of the toast. The only major problem with the Parent Trap plan was Ashley and Vanessa's seriously different eating habits. Ashley really wanted English muffins. She figured she'd have to get Gabriella to buy some. The three adult girls walked into the kitchen, and stared at Ashley, who had frozen halfway through eating a piece of toast. "What?" she asked, mouth half-full.

"You look ridiculous," Kelsi said. "Come on, and eat your food, we've got big plans today."

"Like…?" Ashley prompted. The girls looked at each other.

"It's August, and it's summer, and we live in Albuquerque. What do you think we're going to do?" Taylor asked. Ashley shrugged.

"Shopping!" Taylor, Kelsi, and Gabriella exclaimed at the same time.

"Oh, yay!" Ashley said, genuinely excited. She loved shopping.

* * *

"You know, Ash," Troy said, walking with Vanessa down a street that was lined with little shops, not too far from their house, "I feel like we hardly so anything together anymore."

"Well, I've been at camp, Dad," Vanessa said.

"Yeah, but you're always doing stuff with Ryan and Chad, and that's cool, but, you know, I'm your dad," Troy said.

"I know," Vanessa said. "Dad."

"Are you gonna start putting 'Dad' at the end of every sentence again?"

"Maybe. I don't know, Dad." Troy and Vanessa laughed. "Oh, right here. This is where we need to go," Vanessa said. "Earrings. Remember?"

"Right," Troy said. They browsed through the little aisles of the earring shop, and picked out a few different earrings for Vanessa, paid for them, and left the shop. They began walking back up the street, in the direction of their house. "So, what do think of Sharpay, Ash?"

"As what, Dad? Your…friend? Your…associate? Ryan's sister?"

"No, just what do you think of her?" Troy asked, sneaking a look at his daughter, who looked a little confused. "As a person?"

"Well, she's pretty, she has nice hair, good teeth, good taste in clothes, good taste in color, and in friends, she can spell the word 'you', she has a nice tan, she can sing pretty well…I don't know. Honestly, Dad, the woman's a complete stranger to me. Why do you want my opinion anyway?" Vanessa asked. She had been stalling for time, until the house had come into view down the street, which it just had, because she knew what was coming, and the real Ashley was not going to be pleased.

"Well, I'll tell you why. Believe it or not, Ash–" Troy began.

"Race you back to the house, Dad!" Vanessa interrupted, running down the street, and into the house. Troy sighed, and walked after her.

"I was trying to tell you something, Ashley!" he called after her.

Vanessa paced around the living room, unbeknownst to the fact that Ryan is listening.

"I'm so in over my head here. I can't handle this alone. I just can't. I'm only one kid!" Vanessa said.

"You got something you want to share with the rest of the class, there, Ash?" Ryan said, from behind her.

"Jeez…um Crow! Don't do that!" Vanessa said.

"Jeezum Crow?" Ryan mocked.

"I mean, you scared me, is all. I didn't know you were in here," Vanessa said.

"You sure there's nothing you want to talk to me about? Like maybe why Boi runs away every time you come near him, or like why you suddenly eat more than you ever have before, or why, all of a sudden, your room is a disaster zone, and you're using expressions like 'jeezum crow'?" Ryan asked.

"I just…changed a lot over the summer, that's all," Vanessa said.

"If I didn't know better, I'd say it's almost as if you were–" Ryan began. "Never mind. It's impossible."

"Almost as if I were who, Ryan?"

"Nobody. Nothing. Forget I mentioned it."

"Almost as if I were…Vanessa?" Ryan stopped dead, and turned back around to look at her.

"You know about Vanessa?" he asked.

"I _am_ Vanessa," she said. Ryan gasped, but Troy came into the room at that moment, slightly out of breath.

"Ash, why'd you take off like that? I told you I wanted to talk to you about something. Ryan, why are you looking at her like that?" Troy asked. Ryan looked around at Troy.

"What? I'm not looking at her any special way. I'm looking at her just like I've looked at her for eleven years. Since the day she came home from the hospital, six pounds, eleven ounces, twenty-one inches long. This is how I look at her. Can I hug her?" Ryan asked, giving Vanessa a hug. "She's so beautiful! You know what? I'm going to go find…something. I think you need a present. I'll be back. Do you want anything special? It doesn't matter. I'll be back." Ryan wandered out of the room, a little awestruck.

"Now what was all that about?" Troy asked Vanessa. "Ash, we gotta talk."

"Okay, go," Vanessa said.

"I want to know what you think about making Sharpay a part of the family," Troy asked.

"Part of _our_ family?" Vanessa asked.

"Yes," Troy said.

"I think it's an awesome idea. Inspired. Brilliant, really."

"You do?"

"Totally. It's like a dream come true. I've always wanted to…okay that broke down," Vanessa said.

"Honey?" Troy asked. "You're okay with me marrying Sharpay?"

"Marry her?! That's insane! How can you marry a woman like that? I…" Vanessa began. She started ranting, mostly to herself, because Troy wasn't really listening. And then she slipped into Spanish.

"Ashley, calm down," Troy said, stopping Vanessa what he hoped was mid-sentence, but he hadn't spoken any Spanish since high school, and all he could remember was…basically nothing. "You speak Spanish?"

"Um…I learned it at camp," Vanessa said, taking deep breaths. "Okay, I'm sorry. Let's discuss this calmly and rationally."

"And in English, if you don't mind," Troy said. Troy stared at Vanessa, who stared right back.

"Dad, you can't get married. It'll totally ruin completely everything!!" Vanessa screamed, storming out of the room. Troy looked around to find Ryan standing in the doorway across the hall.

"Don't look at me, I don't know a thing," Ryan said, shutting the door. Troy sighed as the door to Ashley's room upstairs slammed. He got up and went out back, running into Chad on the way.

"I don't know anything either," Chad said, quickly hurrying out of the way. "But I'm totally with her man."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Troy said. "What else is new?" Troy went through the doors to the backyard, and sat in the beach chair next to Sharpay's. "So, guess what?"

"You told Ashley," Sharpay said.

"How'd you know?" Troy asked.

"She dropped _this_ out the window," Sharpay said, holding up a piece of paper tied to a plastic figurine reading "Don't marry him!!" "Anyway, you look stressed. How about a Martini?"

"How about a double?" Troy asked. Sharpay smirked her Sharpay smirk.

"Ryan!" she yelled. Ryan was out t the pool in less than ten seconds. "Two martinis please. And make Troy's a double."

"I am not a butler," Ryan grumbled as he went back inside to make the drinks.

"Thanks, Ry!" Troy called after him. Ryan waved over his shoulder, and slammed the door to the house.

"So, how did it go, when you told her?" Sharpay asked, laying back down to soak up the sun.

"She went ballistic. She started yelling in Spanish. I didn't even know she spoke Spanish," Troy said.

"Oh, Troy, this reaction is totally classic. It's Daddy's Getting Remarries 101. I'd worry if she didn't react this way. Look, why don't I talk to her. You know, woman to woman."

"You know, I don't think that's such a good idea," Troy said. "I mean, she threw an action figure at you."

"Actually, it was in a plastic bag, and it landed in the pool," Sharpay said. "I think she missed on purpose."

"Whatever," Troy said. "And she's been acting so weird lately. And I have the feeling Ryan and Chad know something I don't."

"Of course they do," Sharpay said. "No offense, but you're not the ripest banana in the bunch."

"Where'd Zeke go?" Troy asked.

"I don't know," Sharpay said. "Who cares?" Troy sighed and stared out over the pool at the white fence on the other side of it. "Okay, I'm going." Sharpay got up and walked inside, almost running into Ryan with the martinis. "Oh, wonderful. I might need this." She picked hers up and drained it, before walking up the stairs to talk to Ashley.

**A/N: Did I mention I don't own anything? As usual? I don't. Anyway, thanks for reading, and please review. Oh, and I watched the movie yesterday, and I got some particularly good ideas.**

**Samantha.**


	7. Chapter 7

**Four P.M. -- Ashley's Room, Bolton Residence, England.**

Vanessa was sitting on the bed in Ashley's room texting very fast into Ashley's cell phone when Sharpay knocked on the door.

"Knock, knock," Sharpay said. Vanessa grunted, and Sharpay walked into the room. "So, I guess the news of the engagement came as a bit of a shock, huh?"

"Ya think?" Vanessa retorted, still texting away.

"Yes, actually," Sharpay said. Vanessa paused in her texting to stare at Sharpay, who didn't seem to realize the sarcastic tone Vanessa had taken. "You know, when I was eleven, I had my first boyfriend."

"I find that very hard to believe," Vanessa said, pushing send and closing the phone.

"Okay, so my first _real_ boyfriend I was eleven," Sharpay said. "But it's a great age. You're just starting to feel like a woman, and soon you'll understand what it's like to be in love. Believe it or not."

"Not," Vanessa said.

* * *

**Ten A.M. -- Vanessa's room, Montez Residence, Albuquerque.**

Ashley flipped open Vanessa's phone as it vibrated, and sat down on Vanessa's bed to read it.

_Ash- Crisis. Dad's getting married. V._

"That is _not_ good," Ashley said to herself.

"What's not good?" Kelsi asked. She was standing in the doorframe of Vanessa's room.

"Oh, nothing," Ashley said. "I just…got a text from a girl I met at camp. My friend Mildred who I was talking to last night."

"The one on vacation in Bora Bora?" Kelsi asked, skeptically.

"Yeah," Ashley said, smiling, and beginning to text back to Vanessa.

"So she sent you a text at…six in the morning?" Kelsi asked, skeptically. "When she's on vacation?"

"Mhm," Ashley said, still texting away.

"Uh-huh," Kelsi said, still skeptically. "What's really going on here, Nessa?"

* * *

**Same Time -- Ashley's Room, Bolton Residence, England.**

"You know, I see what mystery my dad sees in you," Vanessa said. "You're hot and sexy, and hey, the guy's only human. Not to mention you're filthy rich, too. But marriage is supposed to be based on more than just that stuff, right?"

"So I'm rich and beautiful," Sharpay said, throwing her hair over her shoulder in trademark fashion. "It's not a crime. And FYI, I adore your father. He's exactly the kind of man I always planned on marrying. This is the real deal, and nothing you do can stop it. You are no longer the only girl in Troy Bolton's life. Get over it."

"And so the fact that my dad is Troy Bolton, the best basketball player to ever hit East High, and the most popular guy in school has…nothing to do with this."

"Nope." Ashley's cell phone vibrated and Vanessa flipped it open.

_V- Do something to stop them! I'm coming over. Ash._

"Okay, then. You have my blessing. Where and when is this little gathering? I will need my best dress buffed and polished…or whatever it is that you do to them."

"It's in a month. Back at the house in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Have you ever been there?"

"I don't think so," Vanessa lied, texting back to Ashley. "When are we going? It seems like a fabulous place."

"We're leaving in a couple days, so get your stuff packed, darling." Sharpay gave Vanessa an over sweet smile.

"Happy to, Shar," Vanessa said, copying Sharpay's smile exactly. She pushed send and closed Ashley's phone. Sharpay left the room. "Toodles!" Vanessa called after her.

* * *

**Same Time -- Vanessa's Room, Montez Residence, Albuquerque.**

"Nothing's going on," Ashley said to Kelsi. "Honest. It was just a text I got in the night." The cell phone vibrated again, and Ashley immediately flipped it open.

_Ash- No need. We're coming to A-town. Get ur best dress, there's a wedding to crash. V._

"Nice," Ashley said. Kelsi stared at her. "I mean, my friend is just telling me what she's going to do today."

"Vanessa, I'm serious. If you don't tell me why you've been acting weird, I'm going to have to tell your mother."

"No!" Ashley said. "I mean, no, don't do that. You can't. It'll totally ruin completely everything."

"Why don't we sit down and you tell me the whole story," Kelsi said.

"Well, it's kind of a long story."

"Well, I'm not busy, so it's okay."

* * *

**A Little While Later -- Gabriella's Room, Montez Residence, Albuquerque.**

"Do I have to?" Ashley asked Kelsi.

"Yes, you do," Kelsi said. "And if you don't, then I will. I've already called Ryan, and he's on his way right now." Ashley sighed and walked into her mother's room.

"Oh, hi, sweetie," Gabriella said. She was putting in a pair of earrings. "What's up?"

"I kind of have something to tell you," Ashley said, letting herself fall into Gabriella's bed.

"What is it, honey, are you okay?"

"I'm fine, mother."

"Then what is it? Are we still on for shopping this afternoon?"

"No, you see, I have to go out of town today." Ashley pulled a blanket or six down over her head.

"Out of town? Whyever would you have to do that?" No response. "Nessa? Ness? Vanessa?"

"That's where I have to go. I have to see Vanessa."

"And where might she be?"

"In England, with her father, Troy Bolton." Gabriella gasped.

"You're not Vanessa?"

"That would be correct," Ashley said.

"You're Ashley?" Ashley nodded, and dropped her fake American scheme.

"Vanessa and I met at camp, and we decided to switch places. I'm sorry, but I'd never seen you and I'd dreamt of meeting you my whole life and Vanessa felt the exact same way about Dad, so we just sorta switched lives. I hope you're not mad because I love you so much and I just hope one day you can love me as me and not as Vanessa."

"I've loved you your whole life, darling," Gabriella said, hugging her daughter. Back in the hallway, Taylor walked up to Kelsi, viewing the situation in the bedroom.

"What's up with Vanessa?" Taylor asked.

"That's not Vanessa. That's Ashley," Kelsi said. Taylor gasped. "They switched places on us."

"They're trying to pull a Parent Trap," Taylor said.

"A what?"

"You know, that old movie with Dennis Quaid and Lindsey Lohan?" Kelsi shrugged.

"So, I guess you have to switch us back now, huh?" Ashley said to Gabriella.

"Well, technically you belong to Troy, and Vanessa belongs to me," Gabriella replied.

"His and hers kids. Good thinking, mom."

"It was _so_ not my idea."

"I'm sure. I guess we just have to go to London and switch us back." Gabriella nodded and Ashley pulled a face like she was just remembering something. "Oh, no, wait, I remember Vanessa saying something about them coming here…on a…vacation or something." In the hallway, Kelsi rolled her eyes.

"Oh. That's…wonderful," Gabriella said. "At least we don't have to fly over there."

"Are you going to be nervous about seeing Dad again?" Ashley asked.

"Oh, no," Gabriella said. "It'll be…just fine. When are they coming?"

"Three days, I think," Ashley said. "That should be fine, right? Give you time to prepare?" Kelsi rolled her eyes again.

"Oh. Sure," Gabriella said. "Sure thing. I can handle this. People see their exes all the time, don't they? Not to worry. Are we still going shopping?" Gabriella's tone was falsely cheery, and she looked a little shell-shocked.

* * *

**Same Time -- Ryan's Room, Bolton Residence, England.**

"I told you why I'm leaving, Chad," Ryan said, throwing yet another pair of pants into his suitcase. "Kelsi called, said there was an emergency, and that I needed to come home."

"What's the emergency?" Vanessa asked, from the doorway. "You're going home?"

"Yes, he's going home," Chad said. "Although he won't tell me _why_."

"Geez, you play one baseball game together in high school, and suddenly I have to tell you everything," Ryan complained.

"Is it about me and Ashley?" Vanessa asked.

"She didn't say, but that's what I am, assuming, yes," Ryan said. Chad looked between Ryan and Vanessa.

"Am I missing something? I thought she was Ashley," Chad said.

"No, that's Vanessa," Ryan said, not bothering with a long-winded explanation. "Ashley's in Albuquerque with the girls."

"Okay," Chad said. "I'm going to go and…scream into a pillow now. … I'll see you later." He left the room, looking extremely confused.

"Good job," Vanessa remarked. "You've gone and scared him off."

"Meanwhile your twin sister is facing a week of being grounded for switching places with you."

"Oh, that sucks. When you get there, get her out of it, and remember to not mention the wedding." Ryan saluted, and zipped up his suitcase.

"Well, I'm off to Albuquerque. Where is it that I'm going if Troy asks?"

"You're going to New York."

"Why?"

"Make something up. You're the actor." Ryan sighed and pulled his suitcase out of his room. Vanessa sighed and left as well. She pulled Ashley's cell out of her pocket, because it vibrated.

_V- I told Mom. TTYL. Ash._

"Well, that's just more than less than unhelpful," Vanessa said. She texted her sister back and stowed the phone back in her pocket. That's when the voices from downstairs came ringing up through the hall.

"You're _leaving_?!" came Sharpay's voice.

"Where are you going?" Troy's voice said.

"I'm going to New York. It's official business business. I'll be back in no time. No worries," Ryan's voice said. "Bye all." The front door slammed, and Troy and Sharpay looked at each other.

"Official business business?" Sharpay said. "I don't buy it."

* * *

**Several Hours Later -- Albuquerque International Airport, Albuquerque.**

"Oh, thank God, you're here," Kelsi said. "I was beginning to think you'd waited for tomorrow's flight."

"Well, it is tomorrow in England," Ryan said, yawning. "It was almost five when I left. Where's Ashley and Gabriella?"

"They're with Taylor, of course," Kelsi said. "Now, let's go."

"Why am I here?"

"Because you're needed in the facilitation of this switching back process."

"What, you don't want Troy and Gabriella parent trapped?"

"No."

"Do you want Troy to marry Sharpay?"

"They're getting married?!"

"Ashley didn't tell you?"

"No, she conveniently left that part out." They walked down the moving sidewalk towards the entrance to the airport, towards Kelsi's car. Ryan was the first to break the silence.

"It's good to see you again."

"Too little too late, Ry," Kelsi replied.

"I said I was sorry."

"This isn't about us. This is about Ashley and Vanessa."

"If you say so." They drove to the Montez residence in silence, where they were greeted upon arrival by hugs from Gabriella and Ashley.

"Hi," Taylor waved.

"Ryan! You didn't say you were visiting again," Gabriella said.

"Wait, you've been here before?" Ashley asked.

"Um, I wasn't really planning on visiting," Ryan said. "Kelsi called and said there was an emergency and to be on the next flight to the states." Gabriella and Ashley looked at Kelsi, who looked at the floor, and tried to slip out of the room without being seen.

"Don't hide behind the lamp," Gabriella said. "Did you call Ryan?"

"Yes," Kelsi said, frowning.

"Why?"

"Because I had to."

"That's a good reason," Taylor said. "What we have here is a classic case of Kelsi overreacting. But now that you're here, you can help."

"Help?" Ryan asked.

"With facilitating the reswitching of the twins," Taylor said, pointing at Ashley.

"Right," Ryan said. "That's exactly why I'm here. So, I'll just be in the guest room if you need me." He swept out of the room without another word. Gabriella followed him.

"Why are you really here, Ry?" Gabriella asked.

"I told you," Ryan said. "I have no idea. But now that I'm here, I might as well help you mentally prepare for seeing your ex."

"Does anyone on the other side of the Atlantic know we were married?"

"Seriously doubtful. Well, I mean, Chad knows, but no one else." Gabriella nodded. "Well, and Troy knows unless he's suffered from some kind of amnesia and forgot that he used to be married to you." Gabriella laughed.

"Or at least, that would be something."

* * *

**Three Days Later -- Eleven A.M. -- Gabriella's Room, Montez Residence, Albuquerque.**

"I'm not ready for this. I haven't seen or heard from Troy Bolton in eleven years, and suddenly I'm just going to seek him out!" Gabriella said. "Ryan, I just can't do this. If the man didn't make me so crazy, I'd still be married to him. We came up with this arrangement so we'd never have to see at each other again. Look at me, Ryan, have you ever seen me like this? Don't answer that. What if he doesn't recognize me? Be honest, Ry, how old do I look? No, don't answer that either. Hey, what am I worried about. He could be fat or bald. Or both." Gabriella giggled in spite of herself.

"Actually, he's still quite the hunk," Ryan said. "And never remarried, either. Just like you, Gabs."

"It just so happens that I am not remarried by choice. I've had my opportunities for el amor. Not lately, of course. But I've had my fair share of the dudes."

"Not lately," Ryan repeated helpfully. He was sitting on Gabriella's bed, watching as Gabriella paced the room in panic.

"I just said that! So, he's still a hunk, huh? He always was kinda hot. Used to make me weak at the knees, if you could imagine that." Gabriella stopped pacing in front of her floor length mirror in shock. "Is that a grey hair?" She yanked it out, and Ashley walked in, wearing a skirt set.

"Ready, mom?" Ashley asked.

"Yep!" Gabriella said. Ashley surveyed her, and then looked at Ryan who shook his head. "Almost."

"Mom, you're still in your PJs. You've got to get changed."

"Right. Did you talk to your dad?" Ryan looked at Ashley, giving her his complete attention.

"Yeah. He said he'd meet us at one this afternoon at the Evans' Mansion."

"My, my, that's awfully soon."

"He sounded awfully excited to see you!" Ashley added for good measure. Ryan rolled his eyes, knowing full well that Ashley had not done anything of the sort.

"He did? Like he's looking forward to it?"

"Definitely," Ashley said. "Now, let's not be late, shall we?" Ashley left the room, and Ryan whispered after her.

"Liar, liar, pants on fire." Ashley pulled a finger across her neck and continued down the hall.

"Ryan, I have a kind of ridiculous question."

"You seem to have a rather lot of them, actually."

"Yeah," Gabriella said. "So, you're coming with us, right? Because I mean I know I can't possibly do this alone. I mean, even with the girls, you know, but you're just…please?"

"I wouldn't miss it for the world," Ryan said, beaming. It was bound to be fun. Especially to see Troy's face when he saw Gabriella again. "And, if you don't mind my advice, if I was seeing my ex again after eleven years and I had your body, I'd wear this." He pulled a red halter dress with a handkerchief hem out of her closet. "Actually, I might wear this anyway. What do you think?" He held it up to himself and examined himself in the mirror. Gabriella laughed and stole it from him. She examined it, and then put it back in her closet.

"Not today," she said. She pulled out a pair of jeans and a turquoise tank top from her closet, with a matching turquoise long sleeved shirt and raised her eyebrows.

"I still say the red thing," Ryan said. "Because if you don't wear it, I will." Gabriella glared at him, and he left the room hands up in surrender. "I'm just saying." He walked downstairs to the kitchen, where Kelsi was pacing around. "Hey, Kels." She jumped.

"Hey, Ryan," she said. "I am so dreading this. I'm scared. What if this goes bad?"

"Oh, it's going to," Ryan said. "Don't worry." Kelsi rolled her eyes and started opening all the cabinets. "What on earth are you looking for?"

"The liquor," Kelsi said. She opened a cabinet above the stove that she could barely reach.

"Kelsi, if you even touch that Vodka, I will have to personally take it away from you, and you might not like that," Ryan warned. Kelsi didn't listen, and took down a bottle of the Vodka. Ryan suddenly moved in to kiss her, and managed to take the Vodka from her sometime during the kiss.

"That…was unfair," Kelsi said.

"Don't say I didn't warn you," Ryan said, setting the Vodka on the counter. "Now get into the living room before I have to do that again."

"And if I want you to do it again?" Kelsi asked, quietly.

"Just go," Ryan said. Kelsi left, and Ryan unearthed a martini glass from nowhere and poured himself one.

"If I don't get to drink it, then neither do you," Kelsi said. Ryan sighed and put the martini in the fridge with the opened bottle of Vodka. He followed Kelsi into the living room. Gabriella came downstairs five minutes later into the kitchen, and opened up the fridge.

"Oho," she exclaimed quietly to herself. She took the martini and drained it. "That's good." She poured herself another one and another one. "Wow, that stuff's strong." She had a little bit more before replacing the bottle back in the fridge and taking out the thing she had gone in there for in the first place (chocolate) and closed the fridge. She wobbled into the living room.

"Ooh, chocolate," Ashley said. "Yummy. Thanks mom." She took the chocolate and Ryan caught Gabriella as she almost toppled over.

"Gabriella, did you drink the Vodka in the fridge?" Ryan asked.

"Maaybe," Gabriella said, giggling.

"Oh my God, she's drunk," Ashley said.

"Hey, well, this way she won't be as mad as you when she finds out Troy _doesn't_ know we're coming, and that he's getting remarried," Ryan said. Gabriella appeared not to hear, instead busying herself with picking the petals off the lilies in a vase. "Okay, some one get in the driver's seat. Let's do this."

**A/N: Okay, kids. And other people. This is chapter Seven. I hope wasn't too confusing. I really don't think it was, but then I wrote it. Next Chapter: (Sorry, I'm laughing too hard to tell you). Oh well.**

**Did anyone see Get Smart (the movie with Steve Carell, Anne Hathaway, and Dwayne "the Rock" Johnson) and realize that's where the idea behind Ryan and Kelsi's kiss came from? If not, that's okay, but I recommend the movie. Anyway, I suppose you've figured out by now that this is Troyella and Ryelsi, at least. Well, congratulation. It is. I won't leave my opinions on Ryelsi here.**

**So, I don't own anything. Got that? Nothing!! Thanks for reading, and please review! I probably told you last chapter that I'd have these out faster. Yeah, that was a lie. But I am trying. I've just had a lot going on. I won't bore you.**

**Samantha.**

**Oh, and she ended up wearing the turquoise shirt set and jeans. The red dress is actually one I own and love. But I'm boring you again...**


	8. Chapter 8

"Okay, he should be here by now," Sharpay said, annoyedly. "Where is he and why is he late?"

"I don't know," Zeke said. "But it's going to be okay. Why are we here, again?"

"Because this is…where the wedding is…stop being confusing," Sharpay said. "You know why we're here."

"He's coming!" Vanessa announced. Troy walked in the front door with his suitcase.

"Gosh! What took you so long?!" Sharpay demanded.

"Your suitcases are heavy," Troy replied. "And hello to you too." He dragged the suitcase he was carrying into the entryway, and Chad dragged a second one in. The Butler immediately took them upstairs.

"Well, I'm going out back," Sharpay announced. "Join me, will you? We still have wedding preparations…" Troy sighed and followed Sharpay out the sliding back doors to the pool.

"Okay, I'm going to ask this question only once, and I want a straight answer," Chad said. "Are you crazy?"

"No, I'm not crazy!" Vanessa responded. "Are you crazy?"

"No," Chad said.

"Good, them we've established that neither of us are crazy. Can we get on with the Plan now?"

"What plan?" Zeke asked suspiciously.

"Nothing you need to concern yourself with," Vanessa said, sweetly. "Why don't you go…do something?"

"Okay," Zeke said, uncertainly, before disappearing into the kitchen to bake some kind of dessert food for later. Ashley's cell vibrated in Vanessa's pocket, and she took it out.

_V.– Ry says we'll B there in 10 mins.  
–Ash._

"They'll be here in ten minutes," Vanessa announced to Chad, who nodded.

"Okay, we're a go for exactly one o'clock," Chad said.

"Chad, we're not Charlie's Angels, okay?" Vanessa said.

"I can dream, can't I?" Chad asked.

"I can't believe we're going through with this," Ashley complained from the backseat between Gabriella and Kelsi.

"Hush," Ryan said. "This is so not my fault. It's Kelsi's."

"It is not," Kelsi said. "If you'd let me have some of it, we wouldn't be having this problem."

"Okay, everyone quiet while I'm driving," Taylor said. There was silence in the car for a whole two minutes.

"Are we there yet?" Ashley asked, impatiently.

"Yes," Taylor said, turning into a gated driveway. She pulled the car up to the door and parked it. Ryan and Kelsi helped Gabriella out of the car, and Chad came down from the front door.

"Hey," Chad said. "Long time no see."

"Just help us," Taylor said. "She's drunk."

"I can see that," Chad said. "Why'd you get her drunk?"

"It's was Kelsi's fault," Ryan said.

"It's was your fault," Kelsi shot back. "You opened the bottle."

"You know, I have the strangest sensation that I'm flying," Gabriella said, randomly. "You said we didn't have to fly to England, Vanessa."

"One, I'm Ashley," Ashley said. "And Two, you're not flying."

"Are we there yet?" Gabriella asked.

"No," Ashley said, giving up on trying to make her mother make sense. "Come on, let's get her in the house." Between the four adults, they managed to get Gabriella into the house and onto a couch. Vanessa was waiting for them inside. When she caught sight of her mother, she slapped Ashley in the arm. "What was that for?"

"She's drunk!" Vanessa said. "You brought her here drunk."

"No, that was Ryan," Chad, Taylor, and Ashley said at the same time.

"Oh, hey, Ryan," Vanessa said. She hadn't noticed him. "Beside the point. Now how are we supposed to do this?"

"I don't know," Ashley said. "Uh-oh, Evans alert." Mr. and Mrs. Evans emerged from the hall, and Ryan immediately turned around to greet them.

"Mother, Dad," he said.

"Ducky!" Mrs. Evans said. "We weren't expecting you! How are you?"

"I'm fine, thanks," Ryan said. "Um, there's nothing going on in here."

"If you say so," Mrs. Evans said.

"Fix your hat, son," Mr. Evans interjected. Ryan straightened his hat. It was then when Mrs. Evans caught sight of Vanessa (who was dressed in a pink dress something similar to something Sharpay might wear).

"And this is my step-granddaughter to be?" Mrs. Evans asked.

"Uh, yeah. Mom, Dad, this is Troy's daughter Ashley. Ashley, these are my parents…" Ryan said, introducing Vanessa to his parents.

"Nice to meet you," Vanessa said. Mr. and Mrs. Evans said some formalities, but then continued out back.

"Whew," Ryan exclaimed, fixing his hat so that it was back at an angle again.

"I'm Vanessa, just so you know," Vanessa said.

"I know," Ryan said. "But they saw you first, and you look more like Ashley than Ashley does."

"I hate pink," Vanessa declared.

"Congratulations, you've come to the wrong party," Ryan said.

"CHAD!" yelled Sharpay from the backyard.

"Be right back," Chad said, running to the door.

"Mother, Daddy, you remember Troy Bolton, right?" Sharpay asked.

"Yes, of course," Mr. Evans said. "Best basketball player we ever saw."

"And golf too," Sharpay reminded him.

"Right," Mr. Evans said. Chad came walking over to where Sharpay and Troy were sitting.

"And you remember Chad Danforth," Sharpay said.

"Yes, the one who plays baseball," Mrs. Evans said. "Ryan speaks most highly of you."

"Uh, thanks," Chad said.

"Well, we were just on our way to check out the big white tent," Mrs. Evans said. "Won't the rest of the wedding party be coming as well?"

"Yeah, mom, they'll be here a little later," Sharpay said. "Don't worry. Everything's fine." Mr. and Mrs. Evans walked out of the gated pool area towards the giant white tent in the backyard.

"You know, we should probably get her out of the high-traffic area of the living room, and upstairs somewhere where she can sleep it off," Ryan suggested.

"Good idea," Taylor said. They stood Gabriella up, who was capable of walking by herself and pushed her in the direction of the stairs. Gabriella wobbled towards them, and suddenly caught sight of the pool in the backyard. Troy and Sharpay were standing – well, kissing – next to it. Sharpay's back was turned to the house, but Troy caught sight of Gabriella through the doors, and almost fell backward into the pool. He didn't though. Gabriella waved slightly, but then she was walking upstairs. It took a few minutes for what she had seen to sink in, and by that time she was standing in the upstairs hallway all alone.

"Ashley Bolton!" she yelled. Both Ashley and Vanessa came out of rooms that they'd been checking out. "Oh, no, don't do this to me, I'm already seeing double."

"It's me, mom, Vanessa," Vanessa said. Gabriella hugged Vanessa and then turned to glare at Ashley.

"How could you do this?" Gabriella asked. Chad came up the stairs behind them.

"Shall I suggest we take this inside?" he asked. Gabriella turned around, and almost fell over.

"Chad!" Gabriella said. "Nice to see you."

"Yeah, you too, Gabi," Chad said. "You're weird today." Ryan and Taylor emerged from a room and motioned into it. Gabriella wandered into it and fell down on the bed.

"You were saying?" Ashley asked.

"Right," Gabriella said. "Let me put this as su-think-tly as possible. One of you…I'm not really sure which one at the moment…but one of you told me your father knew I was coming today. And I'm telling you that the man out by the pool had absolutely no idea that he and I were on the same planet, let alone in the same house."

"You saw that?" Vanessa asked. "Of all the things to see, that was probably bad."

"Really?" Ashley asked her.

"Not helping, girls," Kelsi said, shutting the door to the room.

"Yes, and it was humiliating," Gabriella said. Kelsi handed her a cold cloth, and she put it on her forehead. "Don't you think I wondered what it was going to be like seeing him again? Well, me staring like a mindless idiot while Troy Bolton is wrapped around another woman was not exactly a scenario I pictured. No sirree. And I would like to know why I've been lied to." Kelsi and Taylor exchanged looks, as did Ashley and Vanessa.

"Mom, Dad's getting married," Vanessa finally said. Gabriella just stared.

"To Cruella De Vil," Ashley said. "She's awful, mom."

"Hey, she's not that bad," Ryan said.

"Yes, Ryan, she is," Kelsi said.

"Whoa," Gabriella said. "Who is she?" All six other people in the room exchanged looks again.

"Gabi, don't take this the wrong way," Chad began, "but Troy's marrying Sharpay Evans, and none of us want him to."

"How can possibly be misconstrued?" Taylor asked. Chad ignored her.

"And I'm the last to know?" Gabriella asked. "Ohh, this makes so much sense now. That's why we're here, isn't it? The Evans' Mansion. That sounded a little fishy."

"Uh, there's a big tent in the backyard, visible from your window if you wanted to look," Chad said.

"Gabriella, come on, she's awful!" Kelsi said.

"He can't marry her, he just can't," Vanessa said.

"I won't allow it," Ashley said.

"And I'm here because…" Gabriella asked. Ashley looked at Vanessa.

"She's scary mean," Vanessa said. "She said she was marrying him whether I liked it or not."

"Girls, your father is a grown man and quite capable of making his own mistakes," Gabriella said. "And, Chad, I know he's your best friend, so why don't you just tell him how you feel?"

"What do you think I've been doing all summer while the kids were at camp?" Chad asked. "Not working."

"And she's all wrong for him, mom!" Vanessa said. "And the only way he won't marry her is…if he sees you again." Gabriela laughed.

"You're fixing me up with Troy, aren't you?" Gabriella asked. Sheepish nods went around the room. "First, would you two just make up your minds?" she asked Chad and Taylor. "You want us together, you want us apart, together, apart, together, apart, together, apart–"

"Together," Chad and Taylor said at the same time.

"And Second, let me say this loud and clear. Troy Bolton and I have nothing in common. Anymore. Plus, in case you hadn't noticed, he seems entirely content with his leggy, blonde, tight-skirted Sharpay Evans. I want the two of you to explain to your father that I am here for one purpose, and one purpose only, and that is to switch the two of you back. Let's do what we have to do and be done with it. Understood?" Everyone nodded again. "Good, because I gotta lie down. My head hurts." She lay down on the bed, and the other six cleared out of the room.

"I just gotta go inside for a minute," Troy said to Sharpay. "I'll be right back."

"No, c'mon," Sharpay said, "whatever you need, the staff can bring it to you. What do you want? A martini? Massage?"

"Bathroom?" Troy asked. Sharpay immediately let go of her fiancé and he rushed into the house. He spotted Chad and Ryan in the living room. Ryan's eyes got wide, and he tried to hide. "I see you. What are you doing here?" Ryan began to babble something incoherent. "No, forget that. Where is she?"

"Who?" Ryan and Chad asked innocently.

"Gabriella, you stupidheads," Troy said.

"I dunno, her house?" Chad guessed.

"I saw her, I know she's here," Troy said.

"She's upstairs," Ryan mumbled. Troy flew up the stairs two at a time and ran into Vanessa at the top.

"Hi Dad!" Vanessa said.

"Hey, Ash," Troy said. "Listen, why don't you go downstairs and keep Sharpay company?"

"Do I have to?" Vanessa asked.

"No," Troy said. He continued down the hall and ran into Ashley.

"Hi Dad!" Ashley said.

"You already said that," Troy said.

"I did?" Ashley asked. "Uh, right, I did. It's good to see you." She hugged him.

"Wait a sec, did you change?" Troy asked. Ashley looked guility down the hall to where Vanessa was standing frozen to the spot.

"Uh, yeah," Ashley said. "Yeah, I did."

"Something's not right here," Troy said. (**A/N: Gosh, he's not very bright.**) He turned around and saw Vanessa trying to sneak up behind him. "Ashley? Oh no."

"Actually, she's not Ashley," Ashley said. "I am."

"Ash, you know who this is?" Troy asked.

"No, it's just a mirror effect," Ashley said. "Of course. That's Vanessa Montez. My sister. You are slow."

"Well, it's obvious that everyone knows more than I do," Troy said. "Where's your mother?" Ashley shrugged. "Ashley."

"She's in there," Ashley said, pointing at the room where Gabriella was laying. Troy walked to the door and peered inside.

"No, she isn't," Troy said.

"Ryan!!" Sharpay yelled from out by the pool.

"Uh-oh," Vanessa said. "That's bad."

"Gabriella?" Sharpay asked. She was still sitting out at the pool, when Gabriella stumbled upon her. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm not sure exactly," Gabriella said.

"Wow, I haven't seen you in forever," Sharpay said. "You're…teaching, right?"

"Yeah," Gabriella said. "And you're engaged to Troy."

"Yes," Sharpay said. "Why are you here? Isn't it a little weird? You know, he's your ex-boyfriend and stuff."

"Ryan brought Kelsi, who dragged me…" Gabriella said vaguely. "So, how've you been?"

"Fabulous, of course," Sharpay said, grinning. "Wait, you said Ryan? But he's in New York!" Gabriella stared at Sharpay. "Ryan!!" Ryan came wandering out of the house and around the pool to where Sharpay and Gabriella were sitting.

"Ooh," he said. "Yeah?"

"Why aren't you in New York?" Sharpay asked.

"Um, I was," Ryan said. "But then Kelsi called and said…"

"Uh-huh," Sharpay said. "Something weird's going on." Troy emerged from the back door of the house and, spotting Gabriella (and seeing nothing else but her) and started walking towards her, but slipped and fell in the pool making a huge splash. "Ah!" Sharpay screamed. She stood up, her designer swimsuit probably ruined due to the chlorinated water and stormed into the house. Ryan followed her, and Gabriella just looked around, confused. Troy climbed out of the pool, still oblivious to anything else going on, and walked over to Gabriella.

"Hi, Gabi," he said.

"Hi, Troy," she returned.

**A/N: Well, that sure took awhile. Just for clarification's sake, Sharpay never knew that Gabriella and Troy were married (which, given the fact that she wasn't there, and how short a time they were actually married, is perfectly understandable) and she also doesn't know that 1) Ashley's a twin and 2) Gabriella's their mother. Otherwise stuff would make a lot more sense to her.**

**Anyhoo, I don't own anything, still (unfortunately). But thanks for reading, and please review!!**

**Samantha.**

**PS. That and sorry for the such a long time between updates. I might get the next one out sooner. But I have not given up, and I will finish this.**


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: Some people are expressing difficulties remembering which girl goes with which parent. This is how I remember. Vanessa lives with Gabriella, because Gabriella in real life in Vanessa Hudgens. And Ashley lives with Troy, because that's where Sharpay is, who is Ashley Tisdale. And, if you were wondering, **_**yes**_** I did that on purpose.**

"Hi, Gabi," Troy said.

"Hi, Troy," Gabriella said. "Uh, long time no see. Please try not to go crazy."

"I think it's a little late for that advice. I just walked into the pool. What on earth is going on? I haven't seen or heard from you in eleven years, and suddenly you're popping up everywhere I look and naturally, today, the day we come back to–"

"Uh, Dad, I can explain why she's here," Vanessa said.

"Um…and why is that?" Troy asked.

"You and Mom sort of think alike, because you both sent us to the same camp, and we met and the whole thing kid of just unraveled," Ashley said.

"They switched on us," Gabriella said.

"You've had Ashley all this time?" Troy asked her. She nodded.

"Are you angry?" Ashley asked.

"Of course not," Troy said. "But…this is unbelievable. This is…wow."

"I haven't seen them together since they had diaper rash," Gabriella said.

"Well, I'm headed into my crazy mixed up teenage years, and I'll be the only girl I know without a mother to fight with," Ashley said.

"And I'm quite without a father," Vanessa said.

"Mom's amazing, Dad, I don't know how you ever let her go," Ashley said.

"Girls, why don't you let your father and I talk for a bit?" Gabriella said. Ashley and Vanessa exchanged looks before going back into the house. Troy grabbed a towel and started to dry himself off.

"I cannot believe this," Troy said. "I mean seeing them…and…and you…How are you Gabi? Or does everyone call you Gabriella now?"

"Well, most people call me Miss Montez," Gabriella said, smiling, "but you can call me Gabi. I've been terrific. How about you?"

"I've had better days," Troy said, shaking the water out of his pockets. "I can't believe it, you haven't changed a bit."

"You thought I'd be fat and grey?" Gabriella asked.

"Well, no," Troy said.

"Okay, now someone explain to me what on earth is going on!" Sharpay said very loudly emerging from the house in a different swimsuit and robe combo.

"Uh, Shar, I think I can explain," Vanessa said, coming out of the house.

"Oh, really?" Sharpay asked. "I seriously doubt it."

"Me too, but I think I can help," Ashley added, joining her. Sharpay yelped at the twins.

"Um, did I ever mention Ashley was a twin?" Troy said.

"No, as a matter of fact you didn't," Sharpay said.

"Don't feel bad, Shar," Ashley said. "He never mentioned it to me either. By the way, I'm the real Ashley. This is Vanessa. She was just pretending to be me while I was here pretending to be her."

"Um, okay," Sharpay said. "And why does she decide to come into our house on this lovely day?" Sharpay looked around the group, slowly putting everything together. Gabriella donned a really guilty face. "Oh, don't tell me they're…Oh no."

"Yes, this is our mother," Vanessa said. "Gabriella Montez. By the way, mom, I want to change my name to Vanessa Montez-Bolton.

"She's your mother?" Sharpay asked. The twins nodded. "And you knew." She pointed at Troy, who nodded. "And you knew." She pointed at Gabriella, who also nodded. "And Chad and Ryan knew." More nods. "And Taylor and Kelsi, who, I assume are both also inside, know." More nods. "So, I'm the only one left out of the loop?"

"Well, I don't think Zeke knows," Troy said.

"Were you two married?" Sharpay asked.

"Uh…yeah," Troy said. "This should probably be something we talk about, just us, isn't it?"

"This is a very small world," Sharpay said.

"And getting smaller," Troy said.

"And so _that's_ why Ryan is here and not in New York, and that's why you're here," Sharpay said, to Gabriella.

"Actually," Gabriella said, "I came here to switch them back. The rest of the plan was all them."

"Which reminds me, can we work on the custody issue sometime?" Ashley said.

"Like tonight, over dinner?" Vanessa said.

"Um…" Troy began.

* * *

"I'm sorry, I just don't see why you have to have dinner with your ex-wife to do this. Why couldn't you just sit in the living room, discuss the custody, shake hands and say goodbye? I'll tell you why: because your daughters don't want me to marry you," Sharpay said, later that afternoon. Gabriella had taken both girls back to her house. Ryan and Kelsi had gone with. Chad and Taylor along with Zeke were still at the Mansion.

"That's not true," Troy said.

"And, while we're on the subject, it's not just your ex-wife," Sharpay continued. "It's _Gabriella Montez_. Of all the people in this world I hate, and there are a lot of them – Vanessa Hudgens, Selena Gomez, that guy who always talks smack about my hair at the hair dressing place, Chad – she's the one I hate the most!"

"I'm sorry?" Troy said.

"But back to the point at hand, they don't want me to marry you. They see me as the evil step-mother. Trust me. I'm not being paranoid. Those girls have something up their sleeve."

"Honey, calm down, they've never had a meal with both their parents in their whole lives. How could I say no?"

"Simple as this: no."

"I have to get ready for dinner." Troy left the pool area for the room his suitcase was in.

* * *

"Ryan," Gabriella whined, "what should I wear? And I swear if you _say_ the red dress, I'll stab you with a fork."

"I don't know," Ryan said. "I like the red dress." He took it out of the closet to hang it on the mirror. Gabriella took it and threw it on her bed.

"I was thinking the off-white one with the purple flowers," she said.

"Mom, if I may say, I like the red dress," Vanessa said. "You looked so pretty in it last winter."

"Yeah," Ashley supplied.

"Okay, everyone leave the room this instant," Gabriella said. Ryan snatched the red dress off the bed and left with the twins. Ten minutes later he reappeared in Gabriella's room _wearing_ the dress. "Oh, my, God, Ryan, take that off."

"I said if you wouldn't wear it, I would," Ryan said. "Are you going to wear it or not?" Gabriella scowled at him, and he grinned triumphantly. "I look good, too." Kelsi laughed from the doorway.

* * *

That evening, Vanessa and Ashley had spilled their master plan to Ryan and Kelsi who offered to help. Troy showed up at Gabriella's house, wondering where they were going. Vanessa replied with a cryptic "you'll see" and Troy rolled his eyes. The six of them piled into the car, and began driving.

"Girls, where are we going?" Gabriella asked. She was wearing the red dress. Troy was wearing something nice as well.

"You'll see," Vanessa replied again. When they got to the place where they were going, Troy and Gabriella were told not to peek, and Ashley and Vanessa led them into the side door, and onto the stage.

"Okay, open your eyes," Ashley said. They were standing center stage in the East High Auditorium. The golden ladder and the purple moon from Twinkle Towne were both there. There was a table with a white table cloth set for two sitting next to them.

"Tada!" Vanessa said.

"The table's set for two," Troy observed.

"That's the other part. See, we're not joining you," Ashley said.

"You're not?" Gabriella asked.

"No, but we are, evidently," Ryan said. "We're serving."

"Mood music, Ash, if you don't mind," Kelsi said, winking at Ashley. Ashley pushed a button on the remote control for the stereo system. Kelsi had compiled a CD of instrumental versions of all the songs Troy and Gabriella had ever sung together.

"Relax…sail through time…" Ashley said.

"Back to yesteryear…" Vanessa said. Both girls made an exit, and Troy and Gabriella turned to face Ryan and Kelsi.

"Please don't kill us," Ryan said.

"They're recreating Twinkle Towne for us," Troy said. "The stage, the props, the music…"

"The help," Kelsi said, gesturing at herself and Ryan, who had composed and choreographed Twinkle Towne, respectively.

"It's sweet," Gabriella said.

The night wore on, and Troy and Gabriella talked, all the while eating fettuccini alfredo and drinking champagne.

"You know, I always see you in Ashley. Something about her eyes," Troy said.

"That's funny, I always see you in Vanessa. Something about her smile," Gabriella said.

"They turned out pretty good though, huh?" Troy said.

"We've been lucky," Gabriella said.

"Sometime, if we're ever _really_ alone maybe we could talk about what happened between us? It all feels a bit hazy to me now. It ended so fast," Troy said.

"It happened so fast," Gabriella said.

Offstage, Kelsi and Ryan were preparing to serve the desserts.

"I think it's safe to serve the cheesecake," Kelsi whispered. Ryan was directly in back of her leaning over her shoulder to observe the events on the stage.

"That…uh…sounds like a plan," Ryan said. Kelsi turned around to get it, but Ryan was there. He was no longer staring at Troy and Gabriella, but at Kelsi. "What happened between us?"

"We took sides," Kelsi said.

"I did not," Ryan said.

"I did," Kelsi said.

"And why was that?"

"I can't remember." Ryan put his arm around Kelsi and pulled her into a kiss, much more romantic than the one earlier in the day had been. Troy and Gabriella onstage hadn't noticed.

"So, you work here now?" Troy said.

"Yeah," Gabriella said. "I teach science. And what do you do?"

"I…can't remember suddenly," Troy said. "Um…what was the question?"

"Cheesecake!" Kelsi said loudly, emerging from backstage with two plates of cheesecake.

"Thanks, Kels," Troy said.

"Yeah," Kelsi said. "Um…" She left again.

"She's weird today," Troy said.

"She always weird," Gabriella said.

"So what go we do about the girls?"

"Well I guess now that they've met, we can't very well keep them apart. I could keep them half the year and you could–"

"They can't go to two schools every year," Ryan supplied from the wings.

"I agree," Troy said.

"Okay, I could keep them for a whole year and then you could–"

"Gabs, that's why we have the solution we have."

"Really?" Gabriella said. "I thought it was because we decided never to see each other again."

"Not me, Gabi."

"You know, that part's become a bit fuzzy to me too…"

"You don't remember the day you packed?"

"No, that day I remember perfectly. Did I hurt you when I threw that…um, what was it?"

"It was…a hairdryer."

"Sorry," Gabriella said.

"So, how come you never got married again? I always figured you'd be remarried by now with a new family," Troy said.

"Who, me? No. No, no, no."

"That's a lot of nos."

"Because I learned a long time ago marriage isn't for me."

"You know I may never be alone with you again, so about the day you packed. Why'd you do it?"

"Nick, we were getting along so badly, we found out we each had tempers, we said foolish things. So I packed. I went back to my mother's house, and before I'd realized my mistake, everyone else's relationships dissolved, and you'd moved to England. And you never came back for me." There was three seconds of dead silence.

"I didn't know I was supposed to," Troy said.

"Well, it really doesn't matter now," Gabriella said. "Let's put on a good face for the girls, and get this show on the road?"

"Yeah," Troy said. "You're right. Let's get this show on the road."

**A/N: It's so sad that Troy and Gabriella are being stupid and not getting back together yet. I can safely say that Ryan and Kelsi are gonna be alright. Which reminds me, I was watching some clips from HSM3, and I got very excited to see Ryan and Kelsi together. Makes me happy. Anyway, thanks for reading, and sticking with me this long. (The reason I'm terrible with updating this story is because I am not a big Troyella fan. Then why am I writing it? It fits, and I wanted to.) So, please leave me reviews! They make me happy like…something happy. And I don't own anything, as usual.**

**Samantha.**


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